I was at a local retailer yesterday with a dear friend who, by no fault of his own, happens to have been born black. As we were looking for something, he said, Lets just ask. Politely, he asked an employee if she could answer a question. The attitude, curt response (something like what do you want), and the blatant negative body language made me sick. Now, I suppose its possible that this woman was just having a bad day. Maybe she is normally a negative person. Perhaps she has reason to be mad at the world for her circumstances. Ive really got no idea. But, its very equally as possible that she has been conditioned to simply not have to treat or view a black person with the same level of common respect and courtesy as others, you know, white folks. Perhaps many of us are, but maybe not to the same outward degree. It doesnt really matter her reasons, because the experience left me and my pal a bit shocked. It took seconds. And, I know we both thought, we just experienced obvious, unapologetic racism. That experience has eaten at my mind since it happened. And while I cant do anything about it, I can step back and try my best to recognize my actions and how they might be perceived by others - black, white, tall, short, smart, and yes, for those who resemble that local store employee, stupid. Im indeed a work in progress. But, whoa. I sure hope Im farther along the line than others. The attached video is worth a look. https://m.youtube/watch?v=-pv8mCHbOrs#
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 13:51:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015