An memory of an incident that I have experience is when I seen a prejudice incident when my mother was working on her job site. My mom was a head supervisor at the IBM cafeteria and I came there to have or eat lunch with her but at the time she could not have lunch me that day because three people had called out and she had to cover and do their jobs. So anyway she had to do the cashier jobs of ringing people food up. My mother greeting the customers asking how they day was going and being nice to the customer and everything. So this particular man she spoke to this man and everything and he was so rude to mother and gave a mean look and did not say anything to her so she continue to talk to him as she was ranging up his food up and I was a witnessed to this and instead of putting in my mother's hand he slammed on the counter. My mom did say anything and took the money off the counter and I was like I am going to say something and my mother was like no "Shartarka please do not say anything cause he can make a complain and I can lose my job.". She was like I go through this all the time but it is ok and I was like mom it is not ok. I ask him does he do it to call the cashier and my mom was like "no"he does it to all the African America cashier not the white cashier because he is White. I could not believe that I witness that.
This incident made me feel hurt and to see my mom expression of how that man did her that way I was so mad. You know I was born in the 70's and to here the stories in the 50's and the 60's of what our parent, grandmother, and ancestors went through it makes you feel a certain way until witness and see it for yourself. I wanted to approach that man but I let it go. The feeling I felt made me angry like I wanted to tell him how would you feel if you was a cashier and somebody slam the money on the counter.
The man would had to change this incident into an opportunity for greater equity. Something in this man had to happen in his childhood, or his attitude to make him to do this every time he does it a African American cashier but not a White cashier.
Shartarka,
ReplyDeleteI have learned so much that I never knew from you and other classmates who are African American women. I never realized the discrimination that exists in our "modern" society! The incident you share is really sad and when you spoke of what would change this to greater equity, you hit the nail on the head. The man needs to change! No matter what happened to him in childhood he needs to see himself honestly as a human being equal to every other human being. There is a song called "Color Blind" by Michel W. Smith that asks the question, "Why can't we be color blind" meaning to not judge a person by the color of their skin.
Thank you for sharing, we have our work cut out for us!
Maria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx2XrVslulU
Hi Shartarka,
ReplyDeleteI can see how that incident made you want to protect your mother, I would have wanted to do the same thing if I was you maybe worse, but what would that solve. Your mother is very strong to ignore the ignorance she has to deal with because some people can see past the color of her skin. Thank you for sharing your personal experience.