From “Living Into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America” by Catherine Meeks
First I would like to proffer my working definition of racism. This is not a scientific explanation or even a current academic one but based solely on my observations. FOr me, racism occurs anytime anyone with their thoughts, feelings, or behavior attempts to confine or restrict the inherent potential of another individual based on the attributes associated with his or her phenotype or assumed race or ethnic category. Communication is extremely powerful and shapes identity and self-concept. However, how we communicate to each other is often based on our stereotypes or expectations about one’s racial or ethnic group membership. It is rare indeed that our verbal and nonverbal communication is directed to a unique person whose life history and experiences are unknown to us. Using this definition and as an example, as an unadulterated racist I would expect each person I meet who appears to be a Muslim to be a terrorist, each Black to be unintelligent and/or poor, all Whites to be racist, and any Latino to be an illegal alien, and I would react accordingly.
I am certain many people would challenge this definition of racism because it is often argued that people who do not hold power and domination can only be prejudiced but not racist. In my estimation, however, there is tremendous power in the psychological impact verbal and nonverbal communication play in the development of identity, self-concept, and social reality. Sociologists would posit that our identities and self-concept arise out of social interactions as we learn to define who we are from others. People internalized a great deal about “who they think they are” from how and what people communicate to them. Stereotypical and deprecatory verbal and nonverbal communication can cripple individuals and their children for generations. Thus identity and self-concept may be the link, the missing puzzle piece to understanding the origins as well as the maintenance of racism.