Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
PART I
MY FAMILY HISTORY AND ROOTS OF MY RACISM
1. THE ROOTS OF MY FAMILY’S RACISM
1. Slavery
2. The Civil War
3. Reconstruction and the Years After the Civil War
2. THE JIM CROW ERA AND MY FAMILY
3. MY MOTHER’S LEGACY
4. IN MY FATHER’S SHADOW
5. MY BROTHERS AND ME
PART II
PERSONAL GROWTH AND JOURNEY OUT OF RACISM
6. A LIFE-CHANGING FRIENDSHIP
7. WAKING UP TO MY OWN RACISM
8. SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES ALONG THE WAY
9. MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY INTO GREATER AWARENESS
PART III
UNDERSTANDING AND HEALING PREJUDICES
10. SOME CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF RACISM AND OTHER FORMS OF PREJUDICE
1. Learned Prejudice
2. Generalizing from Negative Experiences
3. Perceiving Others as “Different” Leading to Feelings of Fear and Separation
4. Low Self-Esteem in Both Targets and Perpetrators of Prejudice
5. Judging Faults We Perceive in Others That are Unconscious Within Ourselves
6. Stereotyping
7. Scapegoating
8. Lack of Awareness of One’s Racism That May Cause Unintentional Harm
11. HEALING RACISM AND PREJUDICE IN OURSELVES
1. Broadening Our Understanding through Education and Life Experiences
2. Some Steps to Overcome Prejudice and Develop Compassion
Meditation: Loving Kindness (Metta) Meditation
Meditation: Giving and Receiving (Tonglen) Meditation
3. Becoming Aware of and Examining Our Judgments and Stories about Others
4. Overcoming Self-Righteousness
5. Developing Self-Awareness
6. Accepting Ourselves
7. Overcoming Separateness by Seeing Our Sameness
Exercise: Just Like Me
Exercise: Without a Story
8. Honoring Diversity
9. Understanding and Accepting Unintentional Racist Behavior
10. Love
12. HEALING RACISM AND PREJUDICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND THE WORLD
1. Reducing Our Prejudices by Connecting with People Different from Ourselves
2. Becoming Aware of White Privilege
3. Breaking Down Barriers Between Ourselves and Those Whose Beliefs and Actions we Oppose
4. Acting Effectively Against Prejudice and Discrimination
5. Examining Our Motives
6. Addressing Prejudice in Educational Settings
7. Not Overlooking the Trees for the Forest
PART IV
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
13. THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
EPILOGUE
MISSISSIPPI REVISITED
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Article: The Campaign to Discredit Martin Luther King
Appendix 2: Article: Martin Luther King: The Ideal vs The Reality
Appendix 3: A Philosophy of Social Action
Appendix 4: Some Thoughts for Young People About Pursuing Social Justice and Overcoming Prejudice
Appendix 5: Questions for Class Discussions, Book Clubs, or Individual Reflection
Appendix 6: Family Genealogy
Appendix 7: Slaves Named in Nancy Robinson’s Account Book
Acknowledgements
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
PART I
MY FAMILY HISTORY AND ROOTS OF MY RACISM
1. THE ROOTS OF MY FAMILY’S RACISM
1. Slavery
2. The Civil War
3. Reconstruction and the Years After the Civil War
2. THE JIM CROW ERA AND MY FAMILY
3. MY MOTHER’S LEGACY
4. IN MY FATHER’S SHADOW
5. MY BROTHERS AND ME
PART II
PERSONAL GROWTH AND JOURNEY OUT OF RACISM
6. A LIFE-CHANGING FRIENDSHIP
7. WAKING UP TO MY OWN RACISM
8. SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES ALONG THE WAY
9. MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY INTO GREATER AWARENESS
PART III
UNDERSTANDING AND HEALING PREJUDICES
10. SOME CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF RACISM AND OTHER FORMS OF PREJUDICE
1. Learned Prejudice
2. Generalizing from Negative Experiences
3. Perceiving Others as “Different” Leading to Feelings of Fear and Separation
4. Low Self-Esteem in Both Targets and Perpetrators of Prejudice
5. Judging Faults We Perceive in Others That are Unconscious Within Ourselves
6. Stereotyping
7. Scapegoating
8. Lack of Awareness of One’s Racism That May Cause Unintentional Harm
11. HEALING RACISM AND PREJUDICE IN OURSELVES
1. Broadening Our Understanding through Education and Life Experiences
2. Some Steps to Overcome Prejudice and Develop Compassion
Meditation: Loving Kindness (Metta) Meditation
Meditation: Giving and Receiving (Tonglen) Meditation
3. Becoming Aware of and Examining Our Judgments and Stories about Others
4. Overcoming Self-Righteousness
5. Developing Self-Awareness
6. Accepting Ourselves
7. Overcoming Separateness by Seeing Our Sameness
Exercise: Just Like Me
Exercise: Without a Story
8. Honoring Diversity
9. Understanding and Accepting Unintentional Racist Behavior
10. Love
12. HEALING RACISM AND PREJUDICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND THE WORLD
1. Reducing Our Prejudices by Connecting with People Different from Ourselves
2. Becoming Aware of White Privilege
3. Breaking Down Barriers Between Ourselves and Those Whose Beliefs and Actions we Oppose
4. Acting Effectively Against Prejudice and Discrimination
5. Examining Our Motives
6. Addressing Prejudice in Educational Settings
7. Not Overlooking the Trees for the Forest
PART IV
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
13. THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
EPILOGUE
MISSISSIPPI REVISITED
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Article: The Campaign to Discredit Martin Luther King
Appendix 2: Article: Martin Luther King: The Ideal vs The Reality
Appendix 3: A Philosophy of Social Action
Appendix 4: Some Thoughts for Young People About Pursuing Social Justice and Overcoming Prejudice
Appendix 5: Questions for Class Discussions, Book Clubs, or Individual Reflection
Appendix 6: Family Genealogy
Appendix 7: Slaves Named in Nancy Robinson’s Account Book
Acknowledgements
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
