We must See Racism to Solve Racism

   The first part of solving a problem is admitting you have one. If we don't think race is a problem, we will never solve it. If we don't think police sometimes have a bias, we will let them continue with that bias.
  But, this also: If we don't think we sometimes falsely accuse the police of bias, there will be no stopping the false accusations.
   For starters, I think each one of us should consider how we are biased. It is natural to like those who come from our groups. If we are from Idaho, we might identify with and speak fondly of Idahoans. Even so, if we are black people, we often identify with black people. Natural enough, right? And, it is the same with white people, right?
   Mitt Romney ran for president four years ago. His being a member of my church certainly was a factor in my deciding who I would vote for.
   Supporting our own is not wrong.
   But --here's the trick -- condemning and disliking those who are not our own is wrong. If they do nothing to warrant our dislike, then it is wrong for us to dislike them. That is when the word "discrimination" locks in.
   So, if we are to solve racism, the first steps include:
   (1.) Recognizing that we tend to pool with those who are like us. This does not need to be seen as a bad thing. Feeling an affinity for those like ourselves does not need to be a negative.
   (2.) Recognizing that it is wrong to dislike or condemn or find fault with those who are not in our group simply because they are not in our group.
   (3.) Recognizing that it is possible for some police to be biased and to hurt or kill those who are of different races. And, to recognize not only that it is possible, but that it does, in fact, happen.
   (4.) Recognizing that some accusations of racism are false, and that not only are they false, but  they are harmful and damaging.
   If we were to want to solve our race problem, we could begin by hammering out this message, by sharing the four above points with each other. If we could get all Americans to consider these points, and to see that they are true, we would be started on the road to success in solving our race problem. And, while it is clear we can't get all Americans to consider the points, the more people who signed on to recognizing these four things, the further we would be along the path of solving our racial divide.
   It is said that the first steps of repentance including recognizing the fault, and confessing it. It is no difference with a nation than it is with a person. So, if we are serious, as a nation, about solving our racial divide -- and we ought to be -- then we should push to get as many people as possible to recognize and confess to the problem.