September 16, 2011 | 1:01 PM | By

“The Most Racist Thing That Ever Happened to Me”

Writer and cable pundit Touré, whose new book Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? is out now, shares an excerpt from it on Atlantic.com. It’s a sampling of interviews he did about race with prominent black Americans ranging from cartoonist Aaron McGruder to activist Jesse Jackson. One exchange stood out:


I asked my 105 interviewees, What is the most racist thing that has ever happened to you? The response I received most often was indicative of modern racism: The answer is unknowable. “I imagine it’d be a thing I don’t even know ever happened,” Aaron McGruder said. “It would be that opportunity that never manifested and I’ll never know that it was even possible.” A decision is made in a back room or a high-level office, perhaps by someone you’ll never see, about whether or not you get a job or a home loan or admission to a school. Or perhaps you’ll never be allowed to know that a home in a certain area or a job is available. This is how modern institutional racism functions and it can weigh on and shape a black person differently than the more overt, simplistic racism of the past did.

— www.theatlantic.com

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DCentric was created to examine the ways race and class interact in Washington, D.C., a city with a vibrant mix of cultures and neighborhoods. Your guides to the changing district are reporters Anna John and Elahe Izadi. View all posts by Anna →