I recently found out that a visitor to my home considers me a racist ...

[JDPriestly]

51. So woule you consider a person who described himself as follows a white racist:

All of the artwork on my walls and tables in our home have a White/European-American theme (including a painting of the Christ and the Last Supper, wherein the Christ and the Disciples are distinctly European); the vast majority of the books on the shelves of our library are by, or about White people; the vast majority of the music to be heard in our home is by White artists; I am active in several volunteer organizations, but I spend most of my volunteer time and energy working with those that work with White youth; I am well versed in several topics (American/World history, Politics, Economics) and am able to speak intelligently about how those topics relate to/effect White.

The person that informed me of the other person's impression of me is a young black female (my daughter's best friend) and she wanted to ask me if I was, in fact, a racist. After taking her through a discussion of how White folks CAN BE, and some are, prejudiced or bigoted; we CANNOT BE racist, as most of us do not have the institutional power to systemically effect black folks.

So then, she asked me whether I am anti-black (which told me she was able to understand the racism discussion).

My answer to her was, "No, I am not anti-black; but I AM PRO-WHITE. The two concepts are very different.

This caused her some discomfort, until I asked her: whether she felt I had ever mistreated her or heard of me talking negatively about, or mistreating, any black folks?

She responded, "To be honest Mr. 1SBM, I have never heard you be critical of black people, as black people." Then, after some thought, she stated that she barely recalled me ever talking about black people, good or bad. And the occasions that she did recall, I talked about how that particular person talked about racial matters.

Then I asked her to think about how I talk about Black folks. Her response was she had never heard me say anything negative about Black people ... only positive and encouraging things

I told her, "See, I do not define myself, or my condition, relative to black folks, so I have no reason to talk them down. It doesn't uplift me, to dwell in negativity. However, I do define myself and condition, relative to the White community; therefore, (the goal/intent of) my every action is to uplift the White community, and therefore, myself."

Is the person stating that racist or not?

Most White people, by the way, do not have the "institutional power to systemically effect black folks." As a group, White people may have some power of that sort, but in general, the systematic effects on black folks are due to historic events and the conditions that history has placed on all of us, white and black, and on a segment of our population that has power and money and the ability influence opinion and policy. Most white people have very little of that power and money.