(ThySistas.com) “Black people cannot be racist!” I hear this command opinion and my mind begins to run faster than Jackie Joyner Kersee in the Olympics. I attempt to figure out if this statement could be a fact. On one hand, African Americans have experienced hundreds of years of suffocation and suffering by the hands of Caucasians who considered themselves to be superior. Also, African Americans are also the minority race compared to Caucasians. My mind’s conclusion: Yes, black people cannot be racist. There is one caveat that comes with this statement. Black people cannot be racist toward a majority race. When it comes to their own race; however, it is a completely different ballpark.
America’s current culture climate has been distracted by constant conflict over prejudice and racism between races. The real issue lives within our own skin color and race. We do a horrible job addressing our own prejudices with each other which makes it difficult for us to provide a strong front when dealing with the racism from other races. 
Brene Brown, an awesome psychiatrist, is known for her research and analysis of shame and our society. In her opinion, “Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed and rare.” Right on Dr. Brown! One reason we as a race do not wish to address our own issues is a fear of embracing embarrassment of our actions. It is like admitting our inability to play spades or dominoes. The fear we have of being transparent about our own mistakes is not something our race wants to admit actually happens. We do not want to admit we had Greek organizations using a paper bag to determine if a woman had the right complexion in order to be admitted into the organization.
We do not want to admit that OJ Simpson probably committed a heinous crime and should have been punished for it. We do not want to admit that we have the highest percentage of single parent families. We have convinced ourselves that being honest with ourselves makes us appear weak. In truth, self-honesty is probably one of the hardest things to accomplish. Doing so means you are able to embrace a conflict, learn from it, and make better decisions because of the learning process.
Allene, an African American woman, says the following in Chris Bodenner’s article “The Very Real Racism in the Black Community”: “I don’t know why black activists feel that each and every black person in America must be black before any other aspect of their personalities and lives. I have been called an Oreo Cookie because of the way I speak, where I live, and the people I choose to have/share my life with.” In other words, she experiences racism from other African Americans just because of her choices.
In all honesty, the racism she is experiencing is not because of her choices. It is happening because of an embarrassment that permeates the African American race. It is happening because of a deliberate choice to not embrace and deal with a problem. We will never be able to move forward as a race if we do not come to terms with our own demons. Forget the white, Hispanic, or Indian people that may have a problem with who we are as a people. When are we going to stop the hatred against ourselves?
Staff Writer; J. W. Bella
May also follow this talented sister online over at; JWB Writes.