Blog Against Racism

Today is Blog Against Racism day, so I will use today to relay some anecdotes about racism in my life. As you may or may not know, I have some native american somewhere in my foggy past, enough to know by looking at me that I ain't white enough. While I hardly think I have been discriminated against in my life (I live a charmed existence, mostly) I have encountered attitudes from people from time to time, letting me know that there was something wrong about me, and they didn't want me to think I was getting away with it or passing or anything.

I have just picked two incidents, inconsequential in the long run, but startling at the time. The first was from Middle School, this incomprehensibly evil kid named Robbie took it as his personal mission to make my life a living hell. He had a ton of names he called me; "Chink" and "Jap" were his two favorites for a long time -- (he didn't know I was indian, and I didn't think setting the record straight so he could call me by the correct epithet would help) . Then, I think, as an outgrowth of "Jap" he started calling me "nazi". I think because the japs were our enemies in WWII and so were the Nazis, so what the hell. He did this as a matter of course in front of Teachers and the Principal and the lunch ladies and no one ever thought to stop him. Did I mention this was in Texas? Of course it was. A ton of other things happened over my not being white enough, but that will have to wait for another time.

The other incident happened on September 12th, 2001; you know, The Day After. It was the end of the work day; I was rushing for my bus, and wanted to go to the bathroom really quick before I went out to the bus stop. I had a backpack on, and as I was rushing into the bathroom, the bathroom at my work, where I had worked for the last two years this lady sort of hysterically shouted at me (paraphrasing here, I can't remember precisely) "are you supposed to be here?" "What are you doing in here? What is in the bag?" Now I know on 9/12 we were all freaked out and everything, but that lady wouldn’t have batted an eye if I had been a blonde.

There are times I have had racist reactions to people, and for that I am sorry. It is something I think every American struggles with every day; and I for one, am going to keep fighting those impulses.