I could explain why I am not replying to Shetterly's comments

[james_davis_nicoll]

But frankly coffeeandink did it better than I could.

sparkymonster's contribution is also of note

Comments

[jjhunter]

YES. I have to consciously stop myself from jumping in and saying, 'No! Not all of us Unitarians are like that!' and 'Guess what? My grandmother hosted African-American activists from the NAACP in her own home during the 'civil rights era,' but much as I love her, that didn't mean she was never racist' and 'Hon, don't even get me started on the subject of John Brown, who did a spectacular job of showing how one can be both an abolitionist and a racist (and a fanatical mass-murderer--I'm looking at you and your history in Bleedin' Kansas, sir!)'...

If Obama's own white grandmother could and would say racist things about strangers even as she raised her own, much beloved biracial grandchild, I think it's pretty clear that there is nothing a white person can do to completely throw out one's white privilege and its effects not just on other people's interactions with one but on how one perceives the world.