We talk about racism like it’s a contagious disease; a parasite that consumes the brain and uses the human body as its shell. It has no boundaries. It infects whole families, whole cities, states, countries, and worlds. Although its existence can be found ingrained within each generation, its origins have yet to be identified. We relieve ourselves of all responsibility (pointing at the shadow rather than the reflection). Racism might as well be useable in court along side the insanity plea. Does Racism exist in America? Yes, it exists in the same form it did 200 years ago- within all of us.

My grandmother is a god fearing southern women. She taught me never to depend on anyone, “black or white.” However, when she taught me that, she also taught me something else. As a black man I had to work twice as hard as anyone else; I was to give no other reason for anyone to hold anything against me. In elementary school, if I didn’t get a good grade, the question was “what color is the teacher?” If he was black, he had a problem with seeing black people smarter than him (crabs in a bucket). If he was white, it was because he hated to see a black boy out shine the other white classmates. To grandma’s credit I have a work ethic that doesn’t expect anything from anyone no matter what race you are (what she taught me). However, later in life when my fate somewhat rested in the hands of another, I am reminded of my grandmothers words (I can’t help but think, “I didn’t get that job simply because I’m black?”).

I don’t believe my grandmother was racist for telling me not to expect anything from anyone, black or white. She was teaching me what she knew from her experiences. It’s human nature to teach your children what you know, so that they do not repeat the same mistakes as you. It’s a lesson in trial and error passed on from one generation to another. The question is how do I pass on the same lesson to my child without the racist connotations? I believe my grandmother could have taught me the same lesson and left race out of it. She could have told me to not expect anything from anyone and always work 150%, leaving out the black and white stuff. When something didn’t go my way, it could have been because that’s life, instead of “was he white?”

Whether or not racism exists in America is an age-old question. We can’t put our finger on it, but we know it’s there. Its’ a question my ancestors could have asked while working cotton fields. “Do you think massa’ is racist?” That question has been passed from one generation to another. We (Black, White, Hispanic, Arab, etc.) can keep passing on the same lessons to our children, asking them the same questions spreading the disease instead of trying to find a cure, but sooner or later we have to ask, what do we do about it?