I'm white and have not personally experienced prejudice or racism but I wanted to bring up a discussion that you did not mention in this post. Something I frequently hear people say is "I don't see color." The problem with this phrase, in my opinion, is that instead of accepting, understanding, and embrassing the diversity around us, a blind eye has been turned. A person may be African America, Native American, Indian, Hispanic etc. Instead of saying we don't see the color, we should embrace the diversity, learn about various cultures, and respect those who differ from ourselves in color, ethnicity, race, and religion.
Thanks for the post and for trying to get such an important conversation started.