When I Used To Think Everyone Is Racist (Well, White People Specifically)
Constant reminders by seemingly unrelenting racist encounters were solidifying a deep-rooted worldview — one that was difficult to separate from.
Misguided, perhaps even dangerous, but it was this way of thinking that shepherded me throughout my childhood; especially when interacting with the majority. Truth be told, it was only in my late twenties that I realized feeling this way did me more harm than it did to those I tagged with the racist label.
Growing up Black in the northern suburbs of Boston, it was easy to conclude that all white people were racist, as they were the only demographic that frequently displayed their true contempt for my existence. Fortunately, I received no egregious mistreatment from any other racial group, certainly not to the degree I did from the white community. This only solidified what I had convinced myself of since I was young; that racism on the part of many white people was real.
It’s not uncommon for Black people who have experienced unthinkable discrimination to cast a wide net of generalization over those who have racially profiled us. If this is how you live day in and day out, the trauma can build exponentially.
