The recent Sherry Sharrod incident, where she was misrepresented (by a Tea Party supporter) in an on-line video as being an African-American racist against white people, and the ongoing anti-Mexican, anti-immigrant legislation in Arizona have once again forced the discussion of “race” and “racism” to the forefront of media headlines. I am surprised at the tone of journalists who act as though America has suddenly discovered that racism exists. Now many mainstream journalist say that we need a dialogue about race.

Race has been an issue for America since its inception. People of color became racially conscious as a result of systematic oppression. “Race” is a social construct. This means that when America was born a group of people, from European background, decided that they are superior to all other people. They called themselves “white,” and made associations of everything that is superior or good with whiteness. This gave them a justification for the enslavement of Africans, genocide of Native Americans, theft of Mexican lands, exploiting Chinese labor, internment of Japanese Americans and much more. This is how we became racially conscious.

There has always been a dialogue about race in America, but it has been hostile and has mostly been between oppressors who wanted to maintain the status-quo and the oppressed who wanted to change our nation. The dialogue has been represented in the efforts of Southern Slave owners, the US occupation army on Native people’s lands, White Citizens Councils, KKK, Skin Heads, Nazis, southern segregationists, politicians (in both parties) and in the rhetoric and actions of many Tea Party activists, who have worked to maintain the second class and oppressed status of people of color. On the other side of the debate has been human rights and civil rights activists who have worked to expand democratic and human rights, fought for social justice, equality and self-determination.

The truth is that I learned about being brown from my own social conditions. It wasn’t something I was introduced to in textbooks. Even as a young child I understood that in the eyes of this society that not being white was perceived as a deficit. It meant existing in a second-class status. I experienced discrimination, I knew I was expected to fail in school, and I was always a suspect in the eyes of policemen. Once I understood that racism is part of a system of oppression I knew that I had to dedicate my life to ending racism.

How can race consciousness help eliminate the hateful and toxic ideology and practices of racism in America? Obviously it will take more than a simple dialogue. This nation must fundamentally change how it treats people of all every ethnicity and race. But we must begin by developing an understanding about what racism is and who benefits from it. I would offer the following book as a starting point: The Cost of Privilege: Taking On the System of White Supremacy and Racism, by Chip Smith. I am also a contributor to this book and believe it offers a complex analysis of race in America.

[This commentary was reprinted from Joe Navarro:Poet.]

BlackCommentator.com Guest Commentator, Joe Navarro, is a 21st century Chicano activist teacher and poet. Click here to contact Mr. Navarro.