Growing up, I carried a heavy burden of programmed racism. I want to be clear from the start: I do not condone racism in any form. The views I held as a teenager are not the views I hold today. This post is a personal reflection to help you understand why I was racist as a young person and where those harmful beliefs came from. It is a story about how family influence shaped my early mindset and how I eventually changed for the better. The Family Influence That Shaped My Earl