I could have been a Racist
I am a white, American woman. I come from a middle class, Republican background, received an excellent education and have an impressive vocabulary. I’m a pacifist but I’m from New Jersey, so don’t fuck with me. I fancy myself a starlight night philosopher, a champion of the underdog and a connoisseur of boxed wine. If it hadn’t been for my mother’s influence and my vast, lifelong love of books, I would probably be a complete racist. When I was about four years old I came home from my grandmother’s house and asked my mother what a nigger was. She was appalled and her response was perfect. She bought me a little black baby doll and nestled it among my other dolls. She told me that we are all people and we are all the same. I have no memory of this event - my mother told me this story when I was older. She also told me that it she had to drive all over New Jersey to find a black doll because (even today) they are not easy to find. M...