If you have a racist encounter at a networking event, ask yourself, Was it intentional? If you can discern that a person consciously has ill intentions, my best advice is to walk away. Yes, as people of color, we still have the burden of being the bigger person.There’s a strong likelihood that if a person is hell-bent in their pursuit of persecuting a person of color, one interaction with you will not change them — further, it is not our role to teach in every interaction. However, suppose a person comes from a genuine place of ignorance versus malice. In that case, it’s easier to correct them and possibly have a deeper conversation about why they said what they said or acted in that manner.