2016 Postmortem

You really need to look at intent because it matters. Racists/Bigots actually know they are being bigots and intend to be. While fear can be part of the reason, hate or a sense of superiority usually is right up there too.

Then there is bias, which is often subconscious without any ill will or bad intent. This is extremely important because it's the key to fixing race relations once and for all. The worst and most harmful thing to do with cases of bias is to call it bigotry because it's NOT. They are two entirely different things.

People who are biased don't usually mean to be. They may do or say things that are insensitive without even realizing it. These people just need to be educated but they won't be open to it if they keep getting called racists/etc.

Institutional bias is deeply ingrained into the social institutions of this country, is based on fear and leads to an unfair legal system, young black men being shot when they are not even armed, etc.