Words, Power, and Solidarity: Why Our Response Matters
Racism is more than just “hurtful words.” At its root, racism is about power and prejudice, where bias is reinforced by systems, institutions, and cultural norms that maintain inequity. Yet the words people use, whether overt or subtle, are not disconnected from those systems. Speech has always been a tool of power. It can oppress, silence, and diminish. And it can also liberate, affirm, and heal.
Racism as Systemic Power
By definition, racism involves systems of power that oppress people based on race. Laws, policies, and institutions — in housing, health care, education, employment, and policing — shape unequal outcomes and reinforce racial hierarchies. These are not accidental; they are sustained by a culture that normalizes them.
Speech as a Tool of Racism
Words may not carry the full machinery of systemic oppression, but they help keep that machinery running. Speech reflects, reinforces, and perpetuates racist systems.
Slurs and derogatory names dehumanize, justify violence, and remind us of the histories that made them possible.
Spoken stereotypes (“Black people are…,” “You don’t sound educated”) do not end in conversation, they shape hiring decisions, academic tracking, health care access, and everyday treatment.
Microaggressions (“Where are you really from?” “You’re so articulate”) may appear small, but their accumulation signals exclusion, “otherness,” and unbelonging.
Even when the speaker has no formal institutional power, their words participate in the broader system of racism. Every innuendo, every “joke,” every stereotype becomes part of the cultural soil from which structural inequity grows.
Why Language Matters
Words shape culture, and culture shapes systems. Racist speech normalizes oppressive ideas, passes them down to the next generation, and sustains the very power structures that harm Black communities. This is why responding to racist speech is not just about manners or politeness. It is about interrupting the cultural fuel that keeps systemic racism alive.
Equally important, words also carry power to heal. In the African Diaspora, testimony, prayer, song, and story circles have long been sources of collective survival. When we tell our truths, name injustice, and speak resilience, we reclaim dignity and remind each other that our lives matter.
10 Ways to Respond to Racist Behavior or Speech
Racist behavior and speech wound deeply. They not only target individuals but reinforce systems of harm that burden entire communities. For Black survivors of race-based trauma, responding can feel exhausting, yet silence can leave us carrying the weight alone.
There is no single right way to respond. Every situation is different, and safety must always come first. But here are ten ways to embody peace with dignity, strength, and resilience when encountering racist behavior or words:
Pause and Breathe – Ground yourself before responding, so you act from clarity, not shock.
Name What Happened – If safe, identify the racism out loud. Naming interrupts silence.
Set Boundaries – Protect your space. Refuse further conversation or walk away.
Use “I” Statements – Center your lived experience: “I felt disrespected when…”
Educate, When You Choose – Share resources if you wish, but remember, you are not obligated to be the teacher.
Lean on Allies – Call in friends or colleagues. Solidarity shifts the burden.
Document the Incident – At work, school, or in public, documentation builds accountability.
Choose Silence with Intention – Sometimes walking away is wisdom, not weakness.
Transform the Energy – Journal, create art, move, or pray to reclaim your peace.
Keep the Bigger Picture in View – Remember, racist words are symptoms of larger systems. Every response contributes to dismantling them.
The Imperative of Solidarity
Responding to racism is not about perfection; it is about protecting dignity and affirming worth. No one should be left to carry this burden alone. Solidarity means refusing to let racist speech pass unchecked, supporting those who are targeted, and creating communities where dignity is fiercely defended.
When we stand together, we dismantle the lie that words of hate can define us. Our collective response becomes a declaration that we will not be diminished. Words can wound, but they can also heal, and when we speak together, they can transform the culture itself.
References
American Psychological Association. (2021). Responding to everyday bigotry. APA. https://www.apa.org/topics/racism-bias-discrimination/responding
DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press.
Sue, D. W., Alsaidi, S., Awad, M. N., Glaeser, E., Calle, C. Z., & Mendez, N. (2019). Disarming racial microaggressions: Microintervention strategies for targets, White allies, and bystanders. American Psychologist, 74(1), 128–142. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000296
Williams, D. R., Lawrence, J. A., & Davis, B. A. (2019). Racism and health: Evidence and needed research. Annual Review of Public Health, 40, 105–125. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040218-043750