I was upset to hear about the Shaw’s manager who became angry when a customer referenced race in a conversation about the store’s alcohol ID policy (June 21).

The customer asked a fair question. Race affects the way policies are enforced every day, whether we are talking about individual acts of bigotry or the systemic racism in our housing, hiring, policing, justice and medical practices, to name just a few.

I’ve been thinking how I would have responded if someone had asked if racism was at work in my store, school or organization. I think I’d be more respectful via my actions, but inside my head, I would have been horrified by the suggestion that I was racist. I’ve realized that my fear of being called racist has prevented me from learning and growing.

A recent “Hidden Brain” episode (“Radio Replay: The Mind Of the Village“) spoke about the “thumbprints” of societal bias we all carry in our minds. Different geographic areas, even specific neighborhoods, have their own variation of these patterns, but we all carry implicit biases that determine much of the way we think and act. By not unpacking biases, we can cause more damage and lose the opportunity to make conscious choices that could improve things.

What if Maine stores, schools and organizations did ongoing education and training that not only prevented the kind of incident that recently happened in Shaw’s, but also helped us lose our fear and shift our thinking and actions?

What if we apologized for negative impacts even when we didn’t intend to discriminate? If the impact is damaging, start there.

What if we really listened to and supported black voices in Maine? As a white person, if I remain fearful, indignant or angry, it won’t solve anything, and worse – it will steal the focus away from seeing the real impacts of my actions and from working toward positive change.

Sue West

Brunswick

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