Fundamentally, racism is making assumptions, positive or negative, about a person’s abilities or character based upon their race rather than upon evidence. That might include expectations regarding the intelligence of someone, their work ethic, personal hygiene, morals, or violent intent. Those expectations can be revealed in very subtle ways. If I’m surprised to hear an African-American man speak with a flat mid-western accent, then this reveals that I had expectations about how African-Americans speak. While that may not imply a value judgment on my part, it does show that I have a cluster of stereotypes that lead me to lump together individuals of a certain race. I suppose that a mind that’s free of racism (if such a thing exists) would treat each new encounter as a blank slate, drawing any conclusions about a person solely from one’s own direct experience with that individual.