My Personal Experience with Prejudice in America

Someone once asked me how I felt about prejudice. “In contrast to what?”, or should I say, “shocking in all its forms.” Initially my response was puzzling. Let me explain.

If you were to ask me how I felt about prejudice in the United States I would have to say, “Here, I am very aware of my skin color.” It is no secret that the US has had a long historical battle with racism. I am able to be educated at the collegiate level, due wholly, or in part, to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s. It is the reason I am allowed to vote in this country. The reason I can walk in any public arena and claim what is equally, or rightfully mine, subjected to law. It does not mean there is always equal application based on the right(s). I can recall in grade school, a conversation my fourth grade teacher and her assistant were having on the playground, during recess, in regards to the class’ overall progress. The assistant made mention of the fine progress a particular African American student was making and how surprised she was at a Caucasian student’s poor progress. The teacher’s response was surprise as well. She thought the Caucasian child should be excelling because the child was from “proper breeding”, as she so plainly stated. “Proper Breeding”, because the child is Caucasian the child should be excelling! This would not be the last time I would encounter this mentality. In my formative years, it was disturbing, the words and the expectation. It made me plainly aware of my skin color. Unfortunately, preparing for college was not any different. My high school counselor was hosting an information session on the college application process. My then best friend, a Caucasian female, posed a question to the counselor about ...

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...gotiation because the rugs this vendor offered were exquisite. I went back to the vendor to show the rug to my male friend. I reached down to touch the rug and the vendor slapped my hand. He slapped me hard. This abrupt behavior was not only shocking but incited my male counterpart to anger. It incited me to tears. The vendor was shouting , “a woman does not have the right to touch such things.” The civil authorities got involved. There was mass confusion, a lot of screaming, some insults being exchanged in foreign languages, by the locals and the visitors alike, on my part, mostly fear. Mostly Shock.

Prejudice comes in many forms. It can be based on race, gender, or nationality to name a few. I think the kind of prejudice you experience is relative to the situation and can be in sharp contrast to one another. I am always in shock when I experience it.