Responding to being labeled "Racist" - Hains - Blog Post #9

 Of the articles we were asked to read this week, The Washington Post article resonated the most with me.  This article consists of five steps to take given the situation in which another person calls you a racist.  Through these steps, Hains provides suggestions on how to/how not to respond when you are put in this position.  The very first suggestion she states really stood out to me on the topic of what matters most is what happened in the current moment.  Previous interactions or relationships you have with people of color do not trump the comment you have made in the moment that made someone call you on it.  I think this point she makes is incredibly important and useful.  Many people that are put in this scenario often are quick to defend themselves by giving reasons why they are not racist whether that includes their beliefs, relationships with family and friends who come from a different background, and the like.  All of these things may be true, but they are not related to the comment that you expressed that offended someone else at that point in time.  Hains states to readers that "What matters is:  1. What you said 2. How it was received by those around you and 3. How you respond to those who identified racism in your words and actions," (Hains).

This was just one of the many statements discussed throughout this article that stood out to me and can be incredibly useful.  We are often taught about diversity, inclusion, and racism in many different ways and forms but I do not think that specifically responding to racism is taught nearly as often.  These scenarios can cause tension and arguments to form, but Hains allows us to learn about approaches to turn these arguments into conversations.  Not only can these accusations against you allow for individuals to express that they felt offended in that moment but they can be opportunities for personal growth if you allow them to be.

I really enjoyed reading through this article and truthfully learned a lot from it.  While I personally have never been put in the situation where someone accused be of being racist, I am not sure I would fully know how to respond if I was.  This article was really helpful to me and I feel like I would be better prepared if it were to happen in the future.  Like I mentioned above briefly, I think that we are taught a lot about racism and inclusion which is a really important thing to learn about.  But, we are not taught how to respond to many of these situations.  A lot of people could benefit from these lessons, even if they were incorporated into coursework as role play situations for everyone to learn from.  If we as individuals can learn how to converse rather than instinctively argue, it would make a huge difference in our communication skills.

Sources:

Hains, Rebecca. “Perspective | Dear Fellow White People: Here's What to Do When You're Called Racist.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Aug. 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/dear-fellow-white-people-heres-what-to-do-when-youre-called-racist/2019/08/20/6e31941a-beda-11e9-b873-63ace636af08_story.html.