Just thought I'd address some of your comments here.

>I guess I just tend to never look or think about anyone
>differently, whatever race they are.

Know that although we are all different, we also carry with us histories particular to our racial and ethnic group. We carry the stories passed down to us about how our ancestors acted and were treated by others. Also, we live in a world that DOES distinguish between people based on race, and grants privileges to some and takes the rights away from others. This is very real, and informs both who we are as people as well as how we perceive others of different backgrounds.

>I seem to get into racism
>conversations a lot, but I never find myself talking about a
>specific race or color as to reasons why things the way the
>are.

Part of the problem is that we have been trained (schooled) to think about things superficially. It is our job as conscious people to learn about each other's histories, cultural ways and social norms that are often obscured from the mainstream.

>Everybody's an
>individual. I have nothing to do with the system or how things
>are run.

Yet you participate in the system. You have a job. You pay taxes. You accept the taxi ride, not knowing that the driver passed by three black men up the street. You apply for the job, and take it when it is ofered to you, not realizing that your whiteness was most likely a factor in you getting hired over a person of color.

I don't know you, and these things might not have anything to do with your life, but I'm trying to say that your white privilege is at work every day of your life (even if you ARE struggling to pay the bills like everyone else). We all have something to do with the system, and the first part of changing the system is acknowledging it exists, learning about it, being able to name it, speak about it, and work with others to change it in our lives.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
who are you









really