FOR MY White Friends: “They were not talking loudly, or carrying boom boxes, or wearing baggy jeans, or sporting Afro hairstyles. They were three middle-class college students looking for a way to spend some of their parent’s money. “A white woman was walking toward them on the same side of the street. When she saw them, she crossed the street. When she was at what she apparently considered a safe distance past them, she crossed back. Ian recounted the story to me with a combination of confusion and anger. Given the rather sheltered life he’d led up to that point, it was a new experience for him. “‘What did she think we were going to do to her? If we’d been white, she wouldn’t have given us a second look. It just makes me angry that she figures she knows us when she’s never seen us before.’ “But there is something more deeply foreboding about the incident. This woman did not live in a vacuum: “Suppose she were a retail store clerk. How would she treat young black men when they shopped in her store? “If she were a schoolteacher, how would she be likely to treat young black males in her classroom, and what would she likely communicate to white students about young black males? “If she worked in the personnel department of a large company, how likely would she be to hire a young black male, no matter how well-qualified he might be? “Suppose she were in law enforcement or suppose she were simply a housewife with young children? The examples are endless. “When she crossed the street, she denied herself an opportunity to challenge a negative racial stereotype that she likely carried. In the process, she probably reinforced that stereotype.” (From My Black Family, My White Privilege - pg 154) Ian and his friends experienced hurt, anger, and confusion as a result of the encounter with this white woman. He and his friends were criminalized not because of their actions but because of their skin. They were demonized, cast into the role of dangerous beasts. Sadly, these types of non-verbal encounters happen daily to people of color, including me. They hurt and have the potential to wear at the self-esteem and reinforce a sense of hopelessness as one’s humanity is eroded by a simple glance – a simple gesture. Those same people might claim to be color blind but have no idea how their unchallenged stereotypes are inflicting psychological and emotional wounds on people of color, ultimately resulting in spiritual damage – not just to individuals but to entire communities.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 20:39:05 +0000
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