Removing a label isn’t as easy as you might think. As often as not some scratchy tag end or sticky residue is left behind. Even when we try to set aside our prejudices, often some bit of unfair assumption remains.
When have you discovered that you had more work to do in removing a label from a person or group of people?
As a White person, I grew up with little contact with Black people. I do remember the maid with the family next door in Maryland. I thought nothing strange about that situation. Since de-segregation in 1954, I am more acutely aware of the historical relationships between the two races, as well as current tensions. I know that I will never be free from prejudices, however. It is good that I at least recognize them; that way I can determine my action more clearly. One instance: I live in a city where there is an established college that before ’54, it was an historically Black college. Today when I see a car stopped in the middle of a street blocking traffic and other people gathered around the car I think to myself “Well, I think these are Black students who come from a background of growing up with a custom probably learned from their parents: living in a small Southern town, and owning a car, it was considered OK to just stop and take over the road to have a visit with other friends gathered around the car. Maybe I’m wrong; maybe I’m right but the idea persists in my mind and I call that prejudicial. Prejudice means pre-judging.
A few months ago, I started reading websites like Black Girl Dangerous (http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/), Everyday Feminism (http://everydayfeminism.com/), and The Body is Not an Apology (http://thebodyisnotanapology.com/). Many articles really challenge the way I view the world, especially in terms of race and body size. For example, I’ve learned that color-blindness actually perpetuates racism. If I’ve understood correctly, the problem lies not in recognizing that someone has a specific race, but in making assumptions or otherwise oppressing them because of it.