Racism

[Duck on Wheels]

Out of curiosity, beyond thinking at first that it was a joke, have you thought about confronting your coworker about her comment and/or reporting it to management? I agree that racism, while common, is ugly and wrong, but silence in the face of racism (or gay bashing, sexism, etc.) can be just as wrong as the racism itself. You have to be prepared to speak out against it.

I don't know that reporting this to management is the way to go. After all, the feelings aren't illegal, only the actions. Also, I've been down that route once and it wasn't a pretty one. I wound up losing my job; the racist kept hers. I think what I would do in this case is to start a conversation with her, something along the lines of what's been said here: Racism is widespread. All of us probably have some prejudice or other, probably more than just one! Few of us are self-aware on that point. So she is to be congratulated on recognizing her feelings and being aware that they are not entirely acceptable. But she's wrong that there's nothing she can do about them. People with arachnophobia can cure themselves by learning to be around spiders. People with a fear of heights learn to deal with that, or with a fear of public spaces, or enclosed spaces. She knows she's racist; she knows it's wrong. Next step is to confront her own fears and prejudices by getting to know some people she up to now has feared and scorned. You know some good folks she will otherwise never have the privilege of getting to know. How about telling her that if she's ready to get over her racism, you're willing to help.