Quote Originally Posted by indysteel View Post
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 am often caught so off guard and so offended/appalled that I am speechless (i.e. I'm baffled, thinking "did s/he just really say that out loud?!?")

I need to work on "I do not appreciate your comment about [insert subject here]" on cue

Oftentimes, those people lack feedback from others because many people are too timid to say anything about it.

Also, if your co-worker is so shallow that finding out that you have an African American, she abandons you (and disrespects you by not responding to your inquiries), then she is probably not worth your time. One of the things I love most about my friends is that they support me and love me, no matter what