I can see that racism is a major blight on US society. It sort of shocks me. We have issues in the UK but nothing like I see on these forums.
Racists in the UK can kiss goodbye to a career in the public eye but in the US they get sent to Washington.
How do you cope with it on a personal level ? What do you tell your kids ? How do you rationalise this and keep your temper ?
I wont respond to redneck racist trash on this thread.
What you see on internet message boards is the underbelly of society, what racists think and feel but don't generally voice in public or polite/mixed company. It most definitely exists, but is not or has not been so in your face until recent years, maybe since the election of a African American man to the highest office in the country.
Nonetheless getting back to your question about your soon to be born grandson, I would suggest that his parents ensure that from as early as possible, that his playmates be as diverse a group as possible. Children are a lot smarter than they are oftentimes credited with and while they are able to discern differences such as color and cultural differences in their playmates and those who eventually become long life friends, as young children they don't attach positive or negative attributes to those differences. That only comes from the influences of others, usually their primary caregivers.
Ensuring that they grow up in a environment where it is 100% normal to be surrounded by and friends with those from different ethnic groups, races or religions is the best way to ensure that if they were to encounter any of the negative stereotypes touted by racists, not said just about him but others as well, that he have the ability to know for himself based on personal experienes and observations, that they are untrue and said for the purpose of trying to hurt others.
My parents didn't teach us how to deal with racism, since it was pretty much a rarity to encounter at least back when I was growing up (the 60s - 70s), at least for us kids, I have no idea what my parents had to deal with on a day to day basis. All I remember picking up from them though is that it's the racist who has the problem in the equation, that you could almost feel pity for them because they're mentally handicapped.
Congratulations by the way.