The accounts in “The Dead Book” bring to life the violence of a different time. Racism back then was explicit, intentional, and accepted. Another era of perpetuated racism was during the Civil Rights Movement. Having grown up in Memphis during this time, my dad has briefly provided me with glimpses into the realities and violence of racism in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, and my dad recalls the riots and violence that ensued. Bussing was implemented when he was in high school, and he has told me about the tension in his own school.

I think today when we hear the word “racism,” we associate it with those times. We think of the cruelty and inhumanity of slavery. We think of the division in America between whites and blacks during the sixties and beyond. I think that’s why when we ask ourselves if we, in fact, are racist, we are quick to reply with a definite no. The reality is, although most of us don’t participate in such racist acts as those that took place in times of widespread violence, we are not all above reproach. As Trepagnier points out, thoughts can be racist, even if they provoke no action.

The continuum of racism that Trepagnier proposes brings to the surface many realities of the varying degrees of racism within us, but it also allows for more comparisons and rationalizations. Just as we sometimes compare our level of racism to those of, for example, some white southerners in 1960, we can now compare ourselves to others on the continuum. I could say, for instance, that yes, perhaps I could take some racial stereotypes into account, but I’m not nearly as racist as some other people. It’s still a relative measurement, and takes the focus off the fact that each of us is racist to one degree or another.