Racism: 2011 Edition

"Post-Racial America"...

I've heard that term tossed around gingerly since the election of President Obama, as though his ultra-cool campaign posters were the panacea for all racial bias and issues that existed in America up until November 3, 2008.

Well, I have an announcement to make to all you Kumbaya singing, hand holding idealists out there.

Brace yourselves...

Racism is alive, well, and THRIVING in 2011.

*I'll give you a moment to unclutch your pearls.*

Yes, I say that racism is thriving through the efforts of such upstanding public characters as Sarah Palin, numerous Tea Party members and even through smaller outlets, such as my current Ethics professor and a former employer.

I've never been one to play the race card or to make a major issue out of my Blackness or "minority status", such that it is. (I say "minority" because I am used to playing the oh so popular party game, "What Are You Mixed With?", when encountering people who are seemingly befuddled by my cultural origin. That's another post for another day, though.)

I am finding that the people who take issue with people of racial backgrounds other than their own are becoming far more bold and vocal about their disdain for "others" and have little to no shame in expressing their bias and opinions.

In my graduate level Ethics course last week, the decrepit, White professor felt the need to take five minutes out of the class to give his thoughts on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as it was MLK, Jr. Day and we didn't get the holiday off. Instead of relating the work of Dr. King to the discussion we were having regarding when doing the right thing involves an ethical decision, He decided to tell us all how hated Dr. King was when he was alive and how dying makes everyone a saint. If this fossil of a man had better hearing, he would have heard me tell him to die so that we'd have something nice to say about him. But, I digress...

Those of you that know me are aware that I am FAR from a Black Panther, but there are some things that just should not be tolerated. I worked for a decidedly ridiculous fellow recently, who felt well within his rights to question the fact that I "read books and didn't chit chat with other people" during my lunch hour. He commented on several occasions that I was "uptight and too proper" during business phone calls (which he monitored) and that it was "nice" that I was "intellectual", but that he didn't get it. My final straw with this guy was him feeling completely justified in berating me in front of other people over a matter he was in the wrong about and telling me that I needed to address him as "sir" when talking to him, while others simply called him by his first name. Needless to say, that experience was terminated without a second thought.

I discussed the matter with a former co-worker and her response to the last episode was a surprisingly nonchalant, "Oh, he's so racist." While I do not fault her for her response, that conversation and experience opened my eyes much more widely to the growing issues and fights that lie ahead for my generation.

My hope and prayer is that when my daughter is at the age where she must enter the world on her own, she has much less of a struggle to endure. Until then, we must continue to work towards "post-racial America..."

In 2011, the fight still continues...

It's the end of the commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and I find myself reflecting on how much has changed. There is a Black man as the President of the United States. Integration is the norm. The blatant injustices that plagued this country have been narrowed down considerably.Yet, with all this progress, the fight wages on.

Last week, the LAPD shot and killed a young Black, unarmed man after a "scuffle". Reginald Doucet was gunned down in front of his residence wearing nothing but boxer shorts. The story is definitely incomplete, but rings full of tragedy and pain for the family of this young man.

Another high profile and sketchy crime involves the arrest and subsequent disappearance of Mitrice Richardson while in the custody of the Malibu

Sheriff's Department. This young lady was arrested over the non-payment of her restaurant bill and was transported to the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station. She was released late in the evening and the rest of the story is a closely guarded, sordid tale that resulted in the discovery of Ms. Richardson's remains miles away from the police station.

A North Carolina teenager, Phylicia Barnes, went missing on December 28th and there is little to no publicity regarding her story. She told her half-sister that she was going out for food and a haircut in the middle of the day and has not been seen since. No new information has been released within the last few days and Phylicia's picture has all but disappeared from the few news reports she was on initially.

Let's keep up the fight for equality and justice for all.

Did I Ever Tell You About...

So...

Did I ever tell you about the time that I almost died at the fish market??

My favorite fish market in LA is Plaza Fish on Western & King in LA. Good stuff, good prices, etc... I decided one Friday night, like every one else in the city, that I wanted some fish. (Fillet of Sole is my favorite, btw.) In my infinite genius, I don't call ahead and have to stand in line and wait 30 minutes for my order, but it's cool, because like I said, Plaza Fish is really good.

I walk into the shop and there is a guy in front of me with his bluetooth on, despite the fact that he is not currently on the phone, and I hear some women come up behind me. I don't turn around and look because I'm not nosey like that and I was focused on the task at hand.

(Sidenote: If you ever see me going down the street and honk or wave, 9 times out of 10, I will NOT turn around. I make it a point to mind my own business in the streets, FYI.)

So, the guy walks up to the counter and places his order. He moves to the side and looks over his shoulder in my direction. He does a double-take and this is when I knew things were going to get a bit troublesome.

I turned to see the real life embodiment of Sheneneh and Key-LoLo standing behind me. Sheneneh had electric blue braids and had to be about 8 months pregnant. Key-LoLo, the more subdued of the two, had lavender braids.

Bluetooth guy, with a decidedly puzzled look on his face, says, "Didn't I just see you smoking outside?" As soon as it left his mouth, a look of deep set regret and

Why the HELL did he do that?!?!?

Now, call me bougie (because I kinda am), but I know my place. I know that one of the unwritten rules in the hood is that if you see a woman with multi-colored hair, she has nothing to lose. Sheneneh proved me sooo right.

I have NEVER heard a person called so many mutha-effa's in rapid succession EVER. And all Mr. Bluetooth could do was put his head down on the counter. Then this fool started pretending that he was on the phone, cupping his bluetooth and mumbling about the dangers of smoking while pregnant.

The whole time this is going on, all I could think was, "All I wanted was some fillet of sole. Maybe some shrimp, but just a little fish. This can't be the end."

My little self-talk/silent prayer for help was interrupted by Sheneneh asking me if I was in line. Still not making ANY eye contact, I nodded quickly and got as close to the counter as possible. I was never so glad to order and find a corner in my life. I think Sheneneh was a little antsy, too. She was trying to get home and get her "40 out of the freezer before it froze up too much."

I got my food and never looked back. And that's how I almost died at the fish market.

True story.