From “Living Into God’s Dream: Dismantling Racism in America” by Catherine Meeks
The unlearning of racist tendencies involve some serious self-examination and self-reflection. To move beyond the blame game, it is vital that each of us ponder our own identities, where they originated and how they motivate us now. Answering simple but provocative questions like, “Who am I?” “Who taught me who I am?” or “How does my racial identity direct my thinking, my feelings, my behavior about myself and toward others?” provide a springboard. Similar questions may stimulate an inner scrutiny and offer some insights into the underpinnings of how each and every one of us is socialized to be racist. It is in these moments of introspection that we can unpack the perceptual biases that reinforce separation and deny one interconnection. Perusing the meditations offered by Howard Thurman, for example, is an excellent way to imitate this process.