The verdict of this case only further cements America’s refusal to see or accept itself or own its actions when it comes to Black America. Its America refusing to see its history. Refusing to acknowledge itself in the mirror for what it really is. Refusing to see its own, culturally engrained prejudice.

We are a country born on the backs of racism and racist policies. We built so much of the greatness that is this country on the backs and lives of bodies of Black slaves. We can’t pretend that never happened. We can’t pretend that just because it ‘wasn’t us’ and that ‘life is hard for me too’ doesn’t mean that racism isn’t real or that we shouldn’t be calling it out and working to do something about it instead of ignoring it and pretending its not an issue. We can’t pretend like racist attitudes don’t go into who gets pulled over and who doesn’t, especially when the data and death toll says otherwise.

We can’t ignore how today, we build our privilege and our companies and our wealth on the backs of historically racist policies that systematically discriminate against people of color — the redistricting of neighborhoods for elections, the segregation of schools districts, the lack of hiring and the lack of Black minorities rising in the workplace, the pulling over of black men based on the width of their nose and their subsequent killings, as we saw with the Philando Castile tragedy, because we are afraid when a black man moves with full verbal and physical transparency.

I say this as a half-white, half Malaysia/Indian woman. There’s literally no stake in this for me outside of just doing the right thing, which is calling out my own people — in this case, a Midwestern, Asian officer whose engrained prejudice resulted in the death of a Black man, who was a straight-A, private school graduate named Philando Castile.

Guys, stay educated and aware of the issues because the war isn’t out there. The real war is here — on our own people. Our OWN AMERICAN people. Our war is on each other. Our war is on Black America.

And this war is a war we rage passively, as we keep clawing our way to our own version of the American Dream with words and prejudice and fear and every excuse we have to hate or fear or step over someone else who is different from us on our way to the top. Especially people of color and especially Black people.

So if you really don’t see color, and you really don’t see race, and you think every human life is important, and every American should have a chance, then start right here at home. With our own Americans. With Black America.

Because Black America is our America. And right now their worse enemy is us — their fellow Americans.

So yes, check your privilege at the door and remember your racist jokes, your subtle hostilities, your unassuming ignorance about America’s racial history or other cultures or races or even your inability to think to ask the Black colleague to the networking event has real consequences when all those subtle prejudices come rushing into an officer’s mind when he decides to pull over and shoot a Black man because of his “wide nose” simply because he’s a black man driving through an white neighborhood.

Those racist jokes matter. Those racial attitudes count. And all those racist statements make a difference when a hand is locked on a trigger and an American man’s life is on the other side.