Racism
First of all, we need to be clear what we mean by “racism”. Does it imply inter-personal prejudice, hatred and hostility, or does it mean systematic oppression of one group by another?
If you regard racism as a psychological category, a sort of extreme form of prejudice, hostility, bigotry or hatred, then you will tend to focus on individuals and offer 'education' as a solution, while the real causes of racism will be missed, and, to your surprise, the problem will recur generation after generation. You will also need a new word to describe the systematic oppression of one group by another (the latter of which controls not only the political, judicial, security, and educational systems of the country involved, but often also the vast bulk of the media) -- and what word would that be, then?
But, we already have such a word -- racism.
Just as we have words for inter-personal bigotry: prejudice, abuse, hatred -- and, of course, bigotry itself.
If, on the other hand, you see racism as a political and social category (with economic and historical roots) — and which refers to the systematic oppression and domination of one group by another because of perceived traits in the oppressed group, artificially engineered or imagined, which make one declare itself 'superior' to the other —, then you will have a much better chance of arguing against it, opposing it and fighting it, in alliance with those affected by it or those who had hitherto been poisoned by it.
In that case, it will become apparent that racism is far more pernicious and insidious than individual prejudice or hatred, and has easily identifiable economic, political, social and historical causes -- and which have been, and still are, used by powerful individuals and groups to divide us (often in the popular press, but not just there), while they laugh all the way to the bank.
That is, of course, quite apart from the fact that there is no such thing as the ‘white race’, an odd idea invented in the late 17th and early 18th century to justify slavery.
The Invention of the White Race
The Invention of the White Race - Counterpunch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V13nqzefyoE
In fact this is a modern version of the old Roman adage 'divide and conquer'.
Alex Callinicos: Race and class
So, in countries like the USA, Canada the UK, and much of Europe, New Zealand and Australia, 'blacks' can't be racist toward 'whites', nor can 'whites' be racist toward 'whites', since the latter isn't an oppressed group in any of those countries.
That might not be the case in other places or at different times.
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Whenever I make the above points, irate right-wingers pile into me with clichéd objections; either (i) they assert blacks can be racist toward whites, totally ignoring the distinctions I have drawn, or (ii) they just attack me personally -- or even (iii) they happily proclaim their racism -- and all three are often accompanied with no little abuse. I will simply delete such comments and block the individual concerned without further warning.
Some complain that this is censorship; it isn't. It is to remind such individuals that if they are abusive or they can't be bothered to read and then reply to my actual arguments, they can't expect me to listen to them in return.
Those who want to be civil and argue like grown-ups will, of course, be listened to.
I don't issue second warnings.
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From here:
So, while ‘blacks’ might be abusive, prejudicial, violent, and bigoted toward ‘whites’ -- and that is also the case with respect to 'whites' in relation to other 'whites' -- they can’t be racist toward them. But, in the first case, that isn’t so the other way round.