coming out as a recovering racist

In this post I want to do three things: First, I want to come out as a recovering racist and misogynist. Second, I want to put that in the context of my world growing up. Third, I want you to consider the ways in which you may have internalized the privileges and biases of your upbringing. Why is that important? Because I spent my entire life thinking of myself as a progressive, voted for our first black president, and until very recently didn’t reflect on just how much my world view was shaped by the society of my childhood, including its white supremacy and misogyny. And as a result, I was completely unprepared for our current societal and political realities. I thought other people were the problem, not realizing just how much it was me. It’s likely you have done the same thing.

The Maplewood swimming pool where I spent many a summer afternoon in the ‘70s

I was a kid in in Houston, Texas in the 70s and early 80s. My family lived in a middle-class white and Jewish neighborhood called Maplewood South, in a wholly unremarkable middle-class home with a detached garage, a back yard with a sandbox and a tire swing, and neighbors all around who also had kids about my age. I spent summers playing soccer in 100F+ heat with 98% relative humidity, exploring Brays Bayou, and playing with my friends. I remember spending summers and weekends at the local Jewish Community Center, taking swimming lesson, even learning Hebrew. I was surrounded by white kids with families from…