shuckin and jivin

Can't believe it and sorry to be the bearer of bad news but... Racism is alive, well and thriving. For those of you that are my friends on face book you already know about my experiences this week but for everyone else...
I work in a field that is very demanding, very technical and almost unheard of for a black woman. So ofcourse I work with alot of men, mostly white men. No problem usually. I've always gone in to a new job experience with people expecting that I couldn't do it or that I wasn't on there level. I'm ok with that. You don't know me and have no reason to think better of me. God has blessed me so much that usually after a month or two these people realize ...Wow, this girl knows what she's talking about and we are able to go on and conduct business.

I try my best to not wear my heart on my sleeve or a chip on my shoulder. I know alot of black people who seem to think everybody is out to get them and they are so paranoid that it is impossible for them to be succesful. I don't want to be like that and always try to see the good in people and hope and pray they really are goodl. I hear alot of comments that could be taken either way. There was gentelman who always called me "gal" and after I noticed that he didn't call the other young lady (who happens to be caucasian) gal I had a nice conversation with him letting him know that I prefered Anna, or Ms. Stocks. I did this very professionally and really didn't think anything of it.

Now this same gentleman always wants someone to answer the phones for him, feels I should take messages for him... Now we do the SAME thing, have the SAME title, and have the SAME type of clients. But again, I put on my little "professional" title and kept the peace...

Until Watermelon.

You see a group of us were talking about having a little Thanksgiving celebration at our job and everyone was going to bring something. One of the young ladies was going around and making a list. One person said rice, a gentleman said soda, so on and so forth. So one of the guys said he was going to bring fried chicken... This prompted another gentleman (The one who used to call me gal, the one who assumes black clients don't have money, the one who thinks we are his secretaries) hunched someone next to him and said" he he he they should bring some watermelon too" or something to that effect.

I didn't know what to do. I just couldn't believe what I had just heard and tried to think of what he might of said that I heard wrong. I just knew that in 2009 this could not be happening.

I was wrong. A few minutes later a woman I work with came up to me and said "did you hear that mess?"

It was real. After all this time we are still living with such racists.

What do we do? Having Angry black woman syndrome gets you absolutely nowhere. I decided to handle the situation with as much dignity as possible. I called a meeting with a manager and the gentleman, informed him that I was very offended by what was said and didn't feel that I should be subjected to such comments. He rolled his eyes, apologized and said it wouldn't happen again.

Do I believe him? absolutely not! But what I did showed him that 1. He will not talk to me any kind of way. 2. I am not what you think I am because if I was I would have acted simple. and 3. He has one more time before I file suit.

Don't let anyone take you out of your character. Remain calm and show them who really has the power.