RACISM + PSYCHOLOGY

Step by Step Guide to Ditching Your Racist Relatives and Friends

Here's how you ensure your inner circle reflects your values

Photo by LexScope on Unsplash

I'm going to give it to you straight. Ditching your racist relatives or friends is not easy. It is one of the most challenging aspects of fighting a good fight. However, when we consider social influence, we have the most sway over those close to us. So, how do we distance ourselves from racists? Let's unpack this.

First things first, before ditching anyone from your roster, you need to check your values. As the Jim Crow Museum curator wrote, "We believe that prejudice and discrimination directed toward any group is wrong and must be opposed." If you are on the same page, feel free to proceed. If not, the steps that follow may be too advanced. I recommend reading more about the lived experiences of Black people, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups. For those of you that realize that prejudice and discrimination are fundamentally wrong, your values are aligned — you're good to go.

Making racism a socially unacceptable viewpoint is imperative for Black people and people of color to live peacefully.