We're all racist in the sense that we all have unconscious biases as a result of being raised in a biased society. (By we, I mean so-called white people, like me.) This doesn't mean we're bad people; it just means that, as a social species, we're influenced by others in our social circles, especially our parents and elders while we're growing up.

For example ...

Ever been surprised when you see a Black person who is intelligent and well-spoken?

Ever felt nervous when walking alone at night and see a Black person coming your way?

Ever see a Black person with a nice car, or clothes, or jewelry, or house, etc, and wonder how they came by the money?

Ever seen a Black person in a professional position, and wonder if they got there by affirmative action?

Ever see a mixed race couple and wonder if one or both of them are sex workers?

Ever daydream of a sexual liaison with an attractive Black person, thinking that they're probably "hot" (because of their color)?

Ever see a Black person wearing a natural hair style, and the thought crosses your mind that they look untidy or unprofessional? Or feel an urge to touch their hair?

Ever see a light-skinned Black person and think they're attractive, vs a dark-skinned Black person and think they're ugly or scary?

Ever see an assertive Black person (especially a woman) and think they're angry or intimidating?

I could go on but you get the idea. These are examples of common biases that many of us have, simply as a result of being raised in a racist system. These biases are what is meant by saying that we're all racist. And none of this means we're bad people; it just means that we're all products of our society. Like antiracist educator Dr. Campt says, we all got the virus. (He writes here on Medium, check him out! https://medium.com/@davidcampt?source=search_post---------0 The above questions were inspired by an exercise from his “Doing My Part” class.)

Catching ourselves in such biased thinking is an ongoing process. I think that's the point of this article here. When such thoughts occur, we can acknowledge, challenge, and then dismiss them. We don't deserve any special prize for doing so; it's simply part of the universal ongoing struggle to be a decent human being.

On the other hand, denying that we have such biases allows them to fester until they burst forth into a microaggression -- or worse! Like James Baldwin said -- we can't solve all problems, but we can solve nothing unless we face it.