(CNN) – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie blamed the Obama administration for the influx of immigrant children at the southern border, but didn't rule out the prospect of accepting children in New Jersey on a case-by-case basis.

"I have great empathy for that situation, but frankly the administration has done an awful job in securing our border, and they need to do that," Christie told reporters in Marion, Iowa, where he campaigned for incumbent Gov. Terry Branstad.

"I don't think ... it matters one bit what your Hispanic population is, as to whether or not you're going to offer help and assistance," he continued. "So we'll take every request that comes based on its merits and make those decisions."

He stressed that he doesn't want to "participate in encouraging this," but added "we are an empathetic people in this country and we don't like seeing people suffer."

As people who benefit from racial privilege, whites can support the leadership of people of color by first challenging these deeply-ingrained myths about racism before entering into a conversation about it, especially with people of color:

1) “You’re racist for making this an issue of race.”

2) “I don’t see race. I only see the human race.”

3) “Talking about issues in terms of ‘white people’ and ‘white privilege’ is reverse racism.”

4) “You [person of color] clearly don’t know what racism is. According to Webster’s Dictionary...”

5) “You [person of color] said something about white people doing racist things, so I demand you explain this to me right now.”

6) “But my [person of color] friend said it was OK if I did it [racially problematic thing].”


7) “Stop attacking me for having privileges just because I’m white. It’s racist and hurtful.”

8) “I’m sick of pretending that [people of color] need special rights and programs just because they aren’t white. We have problems too, you know.”

9) Insert tear-filled expression of white privilege guilt or denial here.