Personal Examples of Racism

[swamp thang]

All too often we are told that racism still exists either subtlely or rampantly depending on the source of the information. I would be curious to hear some personal experiences that are racist in nature. I'll only preface my observations by saying that, other than my workplace, I do not have many non-caucasian friends since my neightborhood, like most is mostly segregated. So I have not personally encountered any blatantly racist behavior. What are others experiences?

[True blue (and gold)]

Slippery slope here.

[Habib]

Slippery slope here.

 

Agreed.

[nWo]

My two older brothers were denied access to a swimming pool because of the color of their skin.

 

I personally wasn't allowed to go to a school I wanted to because,"The school I was attending didn't have enough blacks students."

 

I was once stopped and checked out by a white police officer. I asked him why and he said, "It was because of the hat I was wearing."

 

I can remember going to a certain school system when I played high school basketball and having little kids try to spit on me and grown ups yelling racial slurs at me and my cousin.

 

 

I also remember on a Saturday morning in 1968 watching from a window of the two story flat we were living in St. Louis as a group of black guys beat up a white guy just because he was walking through the neighborhood.

 

In the present day time while it is subtle, going to a store and see women clutching their purse when I walk by.

[swamp thang]

Thanks for sharing NWO. I think, to most people, racism becomes real when we hear accounts from those we know and encounter in our everyday lives.

[KY Thorobred]

Cornered by a group of high school students when I was around 11 or 12 at a football game. I was simply heading to the concession stand and they stopped me away from everyone else, grabbed my jacket and said "white boy give us some money".

[nWo]

Thanks for sharing NWO. I think, to most people, racism becomes real when we hear accounts from those we know and encounter in our everyday lives.

 

You're welcome. Let me say this mom and dad went through a lot worst that I ever did. They both would tell me that don't let things like that bother you because not all people are like that.

[Hoot Gibson]

I cannot recall ever witnessing what I consider to be racism personally but I have witnessed two very awkward misunderstandings involving the unfortunate, unintentional use of racial charged language. Both events happened in workplaces.

 

In the first incident, I was getting ready to go to lunch with a few of my co-workers, one of whom was a Jewish guy named Seth and another was a Caucasian guy named Bud. In trying to throw out the name of a nearby grocery store that had a stir fry bar that was named Heinen's, Bud uttered the same racial epithet that landed Jesse Jackson in hot water a few years ago. Seth, realizing that young Bud had no idea that the word was offensive to Jews, calmly explained why the room suddenly got quiet. Nobody was angry or offended and Bud apologized for the inadvertent use of offensive slang and we went on to lunch together.

 

In the second incident, I was discussing (jokingly) foreign languages with a young Caucasian and a Hispanic-American. I don't recall the exact way that the conversation developed but I seem to recall a Greg making a reference to something like "hillbilly-speak" before making up a similar word for the language of Ray's ancestors, only he did not use the word "Spanish."

 

I believe that Ray knew that the offensive word was used out of ignorance and in jest but he obviously felt that he should be angry, so he became angry. He heatedly explained that the word Greg used originated because his ancestors worked long, hard hours and their shirts were often dripping with sweat. I felt bad for both Greg and for Ray because I know that Greg had no intention of offending Ray and I sensed that Ray understood that but still felt compelled to defend his honor as a Hispanic. An awkward silence followed and we all went back to work.

[RebelK]

Twenty Eight years ago this May my second oldest brother died at the age of 27

 

We grew up and spent quite a bit of our time with a Black family. We all knew that our skins were different colors but that never stopped us from loving each other.

 

At my brother visitation and at his funeral this family was right there beside us (as they well should have been). After the funeral everyone came to our house afterwards. I was sitting on our front porch with my cousins when one of my friends (the one who had a different color of skin than ours) pulled into our driveway and came onto the porch and sat down next to me. What he didn't hear was when he pulled up a couple of my cousins said to me, "What's his kind doing here". Well needless to say I didn't much care for that remarks. So by the time my friend sat down next to me....those counsins had been asked to leave. My remark to them was....."it's a time for family to be together and since he's more my family than you, I suggest you leave".

 

And just in case anyone is wondering....after all those years...these same kids (who are grown with children of their own) was beside us during my mothers illness and they were beside us at her death.

[ladiesbballcoach]

I have a friend who was not hired for a job out of college. The reason he was given was that they needed to fill minority quotas and he didn't fit the categories.

[Hoot Gibson]

Here is an incident that I did not experience personally but heard about from a group of Marines who were there.

 

My wife had a first cousin (white) that fought in the Gulf War and returned stateside in preparation for his discharge. The night before he was to return home, he and a few of his Marine buddies went to a local bar to celebrate. One of his best friends was black. After they entered the bar, a group of white Air Force guys started harassing the black Marine and told him that his kind was not welcome. Ray jumped to his feet and tried to diffuse the situation.

 

One thing led to another, and Ray ended up beating up the loudest of the Air Force guys pretty badly after Ray and his friends refused to leave. After the fight, Ray and the Marines loaded into their car and began to drive back to the base. A few minutes later, the Air Force guy who had been on the receiving end of Ray's punches, pulled along side Ray's car and shot him in the head. The shooter was never charged.

 

Before joining the Marines, Ray had probably never even met an African-American before and he grew up in a family where racist language was often used (despite there being no more than a handful of blacks in his home county). Ray died in this country in a bar fight sticking up for one of his best friends on the day before he was to be discharged after surviving the Gulf War.

 

All of Ray's friends and his sergeant drove to eastern Kentucky to attend Ray's funeral. They were an impressive group of young men and it was an honor to meet all of them.

[rockmom]

I see examples of it on a daily base. And I see it happen both ways.

 

But, what I see more than anything overtly racial biased, is a behind the scenes decision making based upon a persons looks and gender. And when I say looks, I mean skin color, physical attractiveness, etc, based on a personal bias of "the look" that someone deems acceptable.

[True blue (and gold)]

I was told by my high school guidance counselor that "if you don't tell someone that you are hispanic, they won't know...you can pass for white." This was said in a whispered voice.

 

As a high school teacher, I hear derogatory racial terms used against our very small population of minority athletes when we compete against certain schools. It literally makes me sick to my stomach.

[ladiesbballcoach]

As far as comments, I grew up in a racist family that would make comments. Until I went to college and came back with a backbone to challenge them and call them out when they made the comments. They have stopped at least when I am around.

[John Anthony]

Its offending to me the people who hate and bash Obama without even looking at the gray side, or giving him a chance to do his job. I tell African American people I think Obama is a good person and I hope he can turn things around and they agree with me and smile while their probably think "oh he's just saying that." It is very frusterating. But that is life, having a completely gray area will never happen.