Think About It & Be Honest

"a lot of people still believe that the darker you are, the more dangerous. I know, I thought we gave that up some decades back."

Another good sentence that I think will kick many of us in the gut - even if we don't want to admit it. Because - now, let's be honest here - this is what we were taught. What we coninue to be taught.

Think about it -
* What color USUALLY depicts the "bad" guy in movies - Black
* How many of the Disney "good people" of color? I got Pocahontas, Jasmine, the girl who fought the Emperor and Lilo - none of them are African American though........
* When you think of Food Stamps who do you envision receiving them?
* Teen pregnancy - what color do you see?
* A group of teenagers was shot - what color were they?
* What is your all time favorite TV show - what color was the majority of the cast? The Lead? (we will visit this one later in another blog entry).

Be Honest with yourself.

Now read something from another blogger that I Love! The opening sentence is hers from the blog I borrowed below - click on her name to see the full story - Ms.C from Chaos & Connections is a friend of mine from STL. She is a wonderful writer and a world of information and compassion -

First, a friend tells me how her daughter was treated recently back East. The daughter is 17 and African-American, although my friend is Caucasian. Her daughter was adopted from Africa as a child. She is a good student and a great kid, giving her parents just enough teen drama to keep them on their toes. Her boyfriend is also black.

Last week, as blizzards swirled through the area, my friend’s husband took their kids out to cut some pending cabin fever off at the pass. This daughter and her boyfriend asked if they could stop at Dunkin Donuts for a drink and wait there while Dad delivered the other kids to the nearby library. He agreed and dropped them off. They ordered their drinks and food and stood, sipping, talking and waiting for Dad to return. Several other patrons sat or milled about, but the two teens were the only people of color in the place. After less than 10 minutes had passed, the manager came out and rudely told them that they had to leave or he’d call the police. ”Why?” they asked. Because we don’t allow loitering, they were told. They told him their ride would arrive shortly, but he said he didn’t care. He told them they’d have to wait outside.

Remember the blizzard? So these two kids, who were doing nothing wrong but being darker than the other donut-eaters, had to stand out in the wind and the snow and wait for her dad to arrive. They called him on her cell, and you can rest assured he made it back there in record time. He confronted the manager, who hemmed and hawed through his amazement that this man, this white man, was claiming to be her father, then finally admitted that no, they’d done nothing wrong. They weren’t loud, they weren’t bothering anyone. Dad even asked other patrons, and all agreed that the manager had been entirely out of line. They left before any law enforcement arrived, but the damage had been done. She was angry and hurt - well, yeah. Who can blame her? She and her father are writing a letter to the local paper together, as these parents try to show her proactive ways to handle prejudice. They will not spend another nickel in that Dunkin Donuts, nor will any of their friends, but who knows if that will have an impact. Several friends advised calling the corporate offices to let them know that one of their franchisees is exhibiting blatant bigotry like this, but past that, what can my friend do?

Sue him? That’s an option, sure. But she realizes her child may not want to become the poster girl for bigotry - especially because she is already a black girl with white parents. Racial peculiarities are a way of her life. That hasn’t been a big problem; she has siblings of several colors including her own biological sister, but not every kid has the temperament to wear such a mantle.

Hard to believe that this small-minded manager decided to actually vocalize his prejudices and without cause, send two well-behaved kids out into the snow. What was he thinking? ”Uh-oh, they’re gonna cause trouble, I just know it. I know! I’ll outfox ‘em and cut ‘em off at the pass, kick ‘em out before they have a chance to scare my other customers.” Really??? In 2009?? Sometimes, living in the city and surrounding myself with generally kind and open-minded people, I honestly forget that the world is still full of idiots. This was quite the reminder.

This is White Privilege. Why did the manager feel Comfortable in Singling them out? And Even Though the other "non dark" customers spoke up later - where were they when the kids were being kicked out? That is White Privilege too.

Would you have thought maybe the manager is onto something because they are the only non-whites in the place, they must be up to something? And Stayed Quiet and Let it Happen?

Or Would You Have Stood Up And Questioned It?