The fact that someone grew up with limited exposure to other races and ethnicities tells us ... nothing, other than the fact that the person grew up with limited exposure to other races and ethnicities.

Inevitably, if we have not been intimately involved with people whose life experience differs from our own, we will see the world differently from them and we are likely to misunderstand what they believe, say and do. So, does that make you a racist?

Jumping to that conclusion would, I think, be a bit unfair. If you haven't expanded your circle since leaving school--and you are still interacting solely or primarily with people who share your own background--you might be described as racially ignorant, and you are probably racially insensitive.

But if you are aware of your own ignorance and avoid making judgments about the experience of those who grew up in a very different world, I wouldn't call you a racist. (And I would happily give extra points to white people who understand what the term white privilege means--and who have thought about how it may have benefited them.)

On the other hand, if you claim to be "racially blind" and you say that race is only skin deep while expecting everyone--regardless of their color or ethnicity--to act and think as you do, then yes: you are a racist.

If you want to move beyond racial ignorance, set aside your judgmnent about those who differ from you and begin to listen to them. And a final thought: you may work beside a member of a minority community for years, and never learn what that person actually believes or thinks. For him or her, survival means not rocking the boat. If you want to understand others, invite them over for dinner or drinks. Earn their trust ... and listen.