And the larger the institution, the more damaging and controlling become its effect. So a second thing we can do is to begin to be aware of the systemic racism and exclusion that we encounter everyday and the way it has effected our own thinking and acting. The third and fourth things we must consider both have to do with truth-telling. The truth is that there are kinds of opportunities that come with being white that just doesn't exist for non-whites. For those of us who are white, we have to be honest about our position in society and what helped to get us where we are.
Truth is, it started with the advantage of birth.
If you don't see my color, you don't see me - my history, my culture, my pain, the injustice of racism. I don't want simply to be assimilated into this culture. I want to retain my cultural identity and to be free to express it. A multicultural society cannot be based upon the ability of one culture to overpower another or upon the principle of sameness. A color-blind posture will not move us to new ground for building a new agenda.