To Be Free: Understanding and Eliminating Racism

Imagine if we were free of racism--free from the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual toll that it takes on both racists and those subjected to racism. Imagine to be free. Often, however, just the mention of the word 'racism' makes people nervous. Like if the subject doesn't come up, maybe it will go away. Like maybe it will slip forever into the recesses of a cave somewhere. Or maybe it will disappear magically, as if it never existed. Many people of color, however, deal with the reality of racism in all its forms on a daily basis--in stores, in schools, at work, on the bus, while watching television, listening to music, browsing the Internet, or reading magazines and newspapers. They can't pretend it away because it is always there in all its ugliness before them.What if, however, we decided to acknowledge racism and talk about ways of preventing, reducing, and alleviating it? And what if we began the discussion among young people, before they solidify their beliefs

Thomas Peacock, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He completed both his master’s and doctoral degrees at Harvard University. Peacock’s writing has appeared in magazines, journals, and books as articles, short stories, and poetry. This is his seventh book.