Since moving to Minnesota, I can't count how many times I've encountered the "oh, you're from the south" glare. It's a mix of disgust and concern where people feel as if I escaped some terrible racist dystopia filled with confederate flags, for a liberal paradise with semi-universal health care and white people who "get it."

I have not.

Believe it or not, the north is just as racist, if not more racist, than the south.

Of course slavery, Jim Crow Laws, lynchings and a myriad of other terrible events are what come to mind when people think of the south, deservedly so.

The south is the catchall term that defines the southern states: Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. This definition might change depending on who you may ask.

Everything else is the north, where many believe that because they were on the side that didn't want slavery, they were obviously not racist.

Obviously.

Yes, the South has a harrowing history with racism that has led to the historic exodus known as the Great Migration that occurred from the 1910s to the 1970s. Yet, when black folk moved to the northern cities, they were met with racial terror at worse, and indifference at best.

Some large swaths of black people could carve out burgeoning and ultimately successful sectors for themselves, but for the majority of black folk, racism was equal to their experiences in the south.

Growing up in Georgia, the rules of racism were as clear as can be. It's not like every white person I saw was going to call me the N-word, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did and I knew if I left the perimeter, it would be worse. From beer bottles being thrown at me, to having every patron leave a restaurant because I entered — I've had my fill of southern racism. I thought the move to Minnesota would free me of the racist experiences that the south provided me.I was wrong.

In fact, I began to miss the straightforward approach to southern racism. I could see from a mile away if I didn't belong somewhere and immediately change the course of action. I could know if I wasn't supposed to apply for a job because it was in the racist part of town. I could avoid racist encounters because the south was honest about their racism and made changes to avoid the trauma that their legacy of racism has caused.

In the north, racism is insidious because people genuinely believe they are not racist. It's not a thought many northerners can fathom and the insinuation alone can send many northerners into a tizzy, naming all their black friends to prove otherwise.

In Minnesota, it's especially worse. They taut the moniker "The Canada of America" with pride, believing they uphold the same values that Canadians hold so dear: politeness, health care for all and an abhorrent to racism. Add that to the fact that Minnesota has one of the highest population of biracial people. I've run into more than my fair share of white people who believe their mixed children prevent them from being racist. If only it were that easy.

Northerners assume that a war fought over 150 years ago can absolve them of their sins, yet, racism is an American issue.

The idea that racism is only a southern issue, that the south alone needs to rectify, is a myth on par with Bill Clinton saying he did not have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky.

We all know the truth. We can keep lying to ourselves or face the truth. The north is not the liberal oasis we make it out to be.

Marwa Gure

Writing since October 2017 · 1 story contributed