ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
DUE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2010
@ 12:00 NOON EDT
Have you experienced racism? If your answer is “yes,” and you feel comfortable sharing: How old were you? How did it make you feel? How did you respond to your attacker?
Guidelines for "Post a Comment" assignments are at the following link:
Racism is not always a black and white issue. I am from Ireland originally and I have been living here for almost nine years. During that time I have had a number of experiences from people telling me to speak English, which is my first language to being called derogatory words such as "donkey" and "mick". I have found that a lot of people are ignorant to the world outside America. They think that Ireland is a third world country with leprechauns running all over the place! This could be further from the truth. There is also the link with the terrorist organization known as the I.R.A. People assume because I'm Irish, I hate the English. I remember after September 11th a radio presenter called the Irish people terrorists. This was very upsetting to me that we could be associated with this minority group. I have noticed that some people look at me as the "poor little irish girl who came here in search of a better life". This may have been true of the Irish that came here as recently as the 80's. However, I came here originally on a vacation and met my husband who is American. It was then I made America my home. I was in Atlantic City a few months ago and upon entering a bar, the bouncer asked me for my visa. I said "Excuse me, why do you need to see my visa. I just want to buy a beer!". After i used the word "discrimination", I was told to vacate the premises. I couldn't believe it! I don't let these ignorant people get me down though. They are the uneducated fools after all.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I experienced racism I was about 8 or 9 years old (about 1965). I was with my mother and we were entering the Alpha Beta supermarket in Pomona, California, in a racially diverse (black, white, Mexican) neighborhood. As we were walking towards the entrance to the store, a little black girl on a bicycle came barreling across the parking lot, almost hit us, and then crashed into the railing in front of the entrance. It seemed the brakes on her bike had failed. She crashed down hard, with the bicycle on top of her and her legs tangled in the rear wheel. I instinctively ran to help her. As I reached down to pull up the bike she looked up at me with a hateful scowl and snarled, "Get your hands away from me, honkey!" I had never heard the word "honkey" before -- but I was so frightened by the look on her face and the tone of her voice that I backed away. She gathered herself up, got back on the bike, and turned to yell "honkey" at me one more time as she rode away. My mother had observed the incident and I asked her what a "honkey" was. Now, it's true that my feet turn outwards when I walk. My mother and grandmother always nagged at me that I walked like a duck, but I ignored them. I learned as an adult that there is some sort of birth defect in my ankles. There's a way to "fix" it now, but when I was a child that fix didn't exist. So, back to "honkey." My mother told me that the little girl probably saw my duck walk and was making fun of me, and that she just didn't understand that ducks "quack" and geese "honk." I didn't understand racism them, but my mother's explanation made me terribly self-conscious about the way I walk for years and years afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI didn't hear the word "honkey" again until I was in my 20's -- and it was only then that I learned the word was a racial slur against whites. I remembered the incident with the little girl on the bicycle and it stunned me at how young we were and how young she was to have hated me so much because of my skin color.
I have never experienced any acts of racism towards me but my eldest son who attends middle school in White Plains was in the cafeteria a few weeks ago when a white kid called him a nigger. A fight ensued between both of them and they were both placed in detention. Although it felt good knowing that he had kicked that boy's butt I told my son that it is just not realistic to start a fight with every one who makes any derogatory remarks about the color of his skin. The reality is, that racism is still very prominent in many parts of the US and the only thing we can is just ignore those remarks and stand proud and tall.
ReplyDeleteI believe that racism still exist today. My experience with a racist was kind of weird because I didnt realize he was being racial until I was sharing my experience with someone else. It happened at work in the very department I worked in. At the time I was one of two "black" that worked in my department.This experience took place in stages, it started on my lunch break when I asked a white co-worker for a ride to my car which was parked in a parking lot across the street for my office. He refused to give me a ride, he just balantly said "No!" without even a smile. Anyway I came back to my desk from lunch to hear him telling people in the office who was by the way "white" how he would not give me a ride in his car. He said the only way I would ever ride in his car was if he was a cop and I was handcuffed in the back of his car for driving while black in Scarsdale. I didnt quite get it up at first.I guess at the time I was too shock to notice that I was a victim of racism. His comment sort of blew over my head. However when I decided to share my experience with my fellow black coworker I started to realize how much of a jerk and an idiot this guy was. I became so upset it was like this fuel was bubbling inside of me waiting to explode.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to approach him so badly at that very moment.But I didnt know how, I was still too upset to approach him, i probably would've punched him in the face and that wouldnt have been good. Then I'll would've been in the back of a police car. (funny) However, I had a little chat with him later when I calmed to I told him how his comment made me feel and he apologized. It really didnt feel sincere however i accepted his apology.
Keisha-Ann Cross
When i experienced this, it came at a time i thought unthinkable. I was enlisted with the US Air Force, before Sep. 11 took place and before the current war. Me and some of my military friends, while in full uniform, went into a restaurant, and waited about 40 min. for a table. Other people were served first that came in after us. We were a bit bothered but at the time tried to show restraint as our positions dictated of us. Once we were finally seated, we waited another 30 min before the waitress even asked if we wanted something to drink. Unfortunately because of the time and location of where we were (US based) our options of eating elsewhere were very limited. Across the table from us there were several men talking about the military and how anyone that's enlisted currently is a joke and how we children pretending to defend a f&%cked up country that we live in. Throughout the night they continued to make several derogatory comments just loud enough for us to hear but never directly at us. Finally (almost two hours after walking in the door) we were served our food in TO-GO boxes. The waitress told us that because of the time we couldn't stay and eat because they were about to close up. (remind you this is a 24 hour dinner). At that time we decided to simply leave and head back to base. We also choose not to take the food for fear that something could have been done to it but we did pay for it (only to avoid any problems with the locals). As we were leaving, one of the gentlemen (for lack of a better or rather proper word for him) at the next table made a comment how we didn't eat the food and being ungrateful for the service provided. I noticed a small flag on their table (decoration from the dinner). I walked up to the table and took the flag and stated "I took a vow, to protect this flag from all enemies, both foreign and domestic". I walked out. I'm sure there could have easily been an incident that night. But it was the first time i experienced racism not because the color of my skin or where i was born or even who my family and friends were, but because of the uniform i wore for my country. This disturbed me for a very long time but I've come to the conclusion that racism is simply a form of fear. A fear of the unknown, a fear of the known, a fear of worthlessness, a fear of fear. Today, i pity those people and all like them. There's so many soldiers that have given their life and still risk their life so they can even have the ability to express the twisted thoughts they have, yet they will never truly know the horrors of what we've gone through for them.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was around the age 11-13 years old i experienced racism. At the time i did not quite understand that, that was what it was. I had been living in arizona and some part are majority white. Arizona is nothing close to arizona and i was pretty close to the darkest thing they have had in the city of gilbert, arizona. Gilbert was known in one of the high schools that they completely racist. I went to Gilbert high School and i had friends that were all white. I know that i felt left out because of how dark i was. I was called sometimes monkey, and just always looked at or treated different. I hated Arizona when i was experiencing this and wanted to move back to New York the whole time. This is when my mother decided to move me to a different school where they had a lot of mixture in races. I hated the feeling i had when i went to gilbert. I felt i was not apart of anyone because i was darker.
ReplyDelete