Hi thank you for responding. Yes I grew up with no understanding about past and present racism. I was taught to be colorblind. But this was South Carolina, so what can you expect?!

In any case, I tend to look past the culture/structure arguments that people have.

My own view is that (1) culture is a response to structure, (2) cultural habits are indeed passed down, but if they do not fit the given structure of one's society, then people will discard them.

And so, while my grandmother fed my mothers onions fried in oil served over grits, and then my mother served me bacon, eggs, and grits, and now I only eat grits occasionally. This is how behaviors are passed down but are modified. My mom was in a better economic situation with more choices, and could therefore avail herself of more tasty, nutrient dense foods. I have only continued this, and even begun lowering my carb intake given what I know about the negatives of carbohydrates.

This understanding of culture means that it is ultimately ones structural conditions that matter, and focusing on culture is blaming the victim.

This does not mean you cannot focus on one individual or family and see how they can change bad behaviors, but large scale change at the group level requires policy changes.

Thanks for replying, and this is long but I needed to rehearse these ideas in my mind anyway.