Talking About Race

Via Engage, this list of 10 things it's a bad idea to do when talking about race.

I really like this list, but I can predict a lot of white folks are going to either go "huh" at some of these or outright resist (probably because we've made these mistakes before and don't want to own up to them).

My favorite:

1. Thinking It's Not OK to Talk About It
Race is such a touchy topic because it is often associated with all of the negative history and oppression of minorities in this country. Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans share a history of physical and social abuse at the hand of the white majority. Yes, that leads to anger and distrust, feelings so strong that they’ve survived for centuries. But the only way to bridge the gap and move forward as a more unified society is to talk about it: all of it.

“We are supposed to be engaged in a cultural conversation about race – a dialogue largely taking place on television and at the movies. We've traded unquestioned racism for a twisted multicultural correctness. Everything is celebrated, nothing can be discussed. We seem to want to live in an imaginary world without racism, where we celebrate differences but never base our beliefs on them.” – Sallie Tisdale, author of “The Sorcerer's Apprentice,” “Harvest Moon” and “Lot's Wife, Stepping Westward and Talk Dirty to Me”