Except for one of my grandparents, who was a racist Yellow Dog Democrat, the most racist person I have ever known was black. When I was a young teacher, I team taught with a black teacher who I looked up to. She was very well-known and respected in the district, and we worked together every period of every day. Our other partner was a white woman from New York. One time the 3 of us were sitting around planning and the idea of trust came up as a general principle. I was saying something like I tended to trust someone unless they had shown that they were not trustworthy. She said she would never trust a white person over a black. I was stunned, but assumed she was speaking in the abstract and from years of experences that I never had. So I said "Well, you would trust me or (the other teacher) over a black person that you didn't know, wouldn't you?" "Absolutely not" she replied. I said "But you know me. We work together in a very integrated school. I have never given you any reason not to trust me, and never behaved in any way with any student that would lead you to not trust me." She shrugged and said that was just the way she felt.
The New Yorker treated the black kids with the most condescending "niceness" that I thought seemed like she didn't really think they could learn well but she wanted them to know that she was there for them. I think I got along with the black kids better than either of them because I not only thought they could learn but expected them to. Just llike every student. And most of the kids did.