No one is born racist. You just think that you were because you felt that way from a very young age, perhaps as far back as you can remember. However, what probably occurred is that there were no black people around you during some or all of your "formative" years, which are the ages of 1-5, and so when you first saw a black person, it was a surprise, like seeing an alien. I am African-American, and I was very afraid of Indian people when I was little, because I had never seen them before and then an Indian family moved into our neighborhood. I would scream with horror whenever I saw this little Indian boy, and the boy would look at my mother and say, "I didn't do anything to her." Also, get this: I spent my early years mostly around white people, and when we went to visit my black extended family for the first time, I was afraid of them!! That was when my mom said she knew it was time for us to move to a more diverse area, so I wouldn't be afraid of "my own people".
I also was a caseworker for a while, and I had a black kid on my caseload who was placed with white parents at birth. She was raised in a totally white area where she never came into contact with black people. When I was assigned her case and went out to visit her, she was afraid of me. It was really sad, because I knew this child would have identity problems later, but it was better for her to be with two parents of any color than to be in a group home or something.
Also, you likely now fear black people also because the media tends to portray only the negative things involving anyone, including black people, and if you don't have black people in your life to show you that that's just one subset of the set of black people, then you will believe that black people are mostly criminals, etc. The mind tends to put things into categories, you just have to broaden your experiences and broaden your mind. Try actively engaging with black people in your workplace and building real friendships with those that you like (i.e., you go to each others' houses and hang out like you do with your white friends). Soon you will find that your fear is fading away and maybe you will start to wonder what else you've been missing your whole life.
fear of black people
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No one is born racist. You just think that you were because you felt that way from a very young age, perhaps as far back as you can remember. However, what probably occurred is that there were no black people around you during some or all of your "formative" years, which are the ages of 1-5, and so when you first saw a black person, it was a surprise, like seeing an alien. I am African-American, and I was very afraid of Indian people when I was little, because I had never seen them before and then an Indian family moved into our neighborhood. I would scream with horror whenever I saw this little Indian boy, and the boy would look at my mother and say, "I didn't do anything to her." Also, get this: I spent my early years mostly around white people, and when we went to visit my black extended family for the first time, I was afraid of them!! That was when my mom said she knew it was time for us to move to a more diverse area, so I wouldn't be afraid of "my own people".
I also was a caseworker for a while, and I had a black kid on my caseload who was placed with white parents at birth. She was raised in a totally white area where she never came into contact with black people. When I was assigned her case and went out to visit her, she was afraid of me. It was really sad, because I knew this child would have identity problems later, but it was better for her to be with two parents of any color than to be in a group home or something.
Also, you likely now fear black people also because the media tends to portray only the negative things involving anyone, including black people, and if you don't have black people in your life to show you that that's just one subset of the set of black people, then you will believe that black people are mostly criminals, etc. The mind tends to put things into categories, you just have to broaden your experiences and broaden your mind. Try actively engaging with black people in your workplace and building real friendships with those that you like (i.e., you go to each others' houses and hang out like you do with your white friends). Soon you will find that your fear is fading away and maybe you will start to wonder what else you've been missing your whole life.