How to Talk with Racism Deniers
And other stuff you should know about fighting prejudice.
In the fight against racism, there’s good news and bad news.
First, the good news. Anti-racism is alive and well. Every day people are showing up and doing the work. And everyday there are more people committed to the cause. Groups like Black Lives Matter, the Color of Change, and SURJ are making amazing progress raising awareness and inspiring the movement for racial justice.
Now, the bad news. A lot of people are doing it wrong. And by wrong I mean they are either not fighting racism effectively or they’re using techniques that actually make racial prejudice worse.
A recent comment on my essay Why Trump Has Such A Hold On His Followers captured the essence of this problem perfectly. Responding to my call for progressives to reach out to people on the right, a reader wrote:
Nonsense. They are Fascist white supremacists. There is nothing I can do to change that. They are unable to welcome others as fellow humans. Calling bullshit.
I encounter this a lot. I get it. You’re disgusted by Trump and his racism. You can’t imagine ever voting for him so you assume anyone who did must be as bad as him.
