Let us begin by invoking, and evoking, the Spirit of Forgiveness. This might seem illogical—the logical thing perhaps being to look for forgiveness at the end of uncovering our unconscious racism—except that logic has nothing to do with spirit. Starting with forgiveness is for getting the forgiveness juices flowing: for all the embarrassment and genuine remorse this work may bring up, falling into guilt, shame, and judging ourselves harshly will not make us well. These things are for the convenience of other people, more along the lines of, “Go outside and cut yourself a switch, and then beat yourself with it—save me the trouble.” A friend of a friend is said to have said that if it feels as if someone is trying to make you feel bad, the conclusion you should jump to is not that you are bad, but rather that someone is trying to jerk you around—perhaps with the end goal of persuading you that you should be turning your will and the care of your life over to them.

And while we’re on the subject, we may want to bear in mind at all times that the fervor of our ant-racist commitment is not measured by how bad we can make other people feel about themselves. As always, keeping the focus on our own selves is the key to heavenly bliss.