We're all familiar with Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream..." but something I experienced not so long ago makes me wonder how far people have gone to fulfill his prophecy.
Just before Christmas I was shopping at a small strip mall in New Hampshire. I came out of Marshall's...a bit frazzled by the hustle and bustle of the season and the amount of money I'd just spent inside. I opened the door and stepped directly into the path of a young man walking by.
I put my arm on his shoulder and apologized profusely.
"I am SO sorry," I said. "I wasn't at all paying attention."
I smiled and figured that was probably the end of our encounter.
It wasn't.
"Wow! You're nice," the young man exclaimed.
My puzzled expression prompted him to explain.
"Most people seem like they're afraid of me. They won't even look at me."
I didn't think I'd done anything out of the ordinary. I simply bumped into him and did my best to apologize for my bumble.
"I can't imagine why that is," I said to the young man.
"People see a black dude like me and they think I'm trouble."
This dumbfounded me. This young man was probably in his mid to late twenties. He was handsome. He was dressed in clean, stylish clothes. He had a smile that could melt even the hardest of hearts. He was articulate. He was polite.
"I'm sorry that people treat you like that," I said. "And please accept my apology for almost mowing you down."
"You can mow me down any time, Ma'am," he replied. "You're a nice lady."
This casual encounter haunts me. I realize it was quite insignificant on the scale of racial inequality and prejudice, but it bothers me just the same.
I pray that others will give my miniscule experience some thought. Maybe it will be one tiny step in attaining a great man's dream.
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Comments: 20
Just sad.
But, I stay and make my voice heard and they will listen to me or I will go down talking I swear.
I would be just like you, and troubled and confused by that response. It doesn't occur to me that anyone is different, and I have encountered the occasional person of another race who assumes I must disdain them immediately becauase of my whiteness...
Is that not, in its own way, a racism of its own?
Thanks for posting your experience. It's a shame this still goes on. But this too shall pass. Thank God.
I think a lot of it does have to do with how you're brought up.
Great article!
It is unfortunate, but in this country, people are judged on their color first. The saddest thing about that is that people in the same race judge each other my how light or how dark the other is!
I am so blessed to have been raised in a community that teaches acceptance of differences. I learned to welcome differences in people!
We have come a long way, but we still have a ways to go!
Kimberly, you are a wonderful and kind person! Thank you for this article!