Daymaker - a person who performs acts of kindness with the intention of making the world a better place.
~ David Wagner
, author of Life as a Daymaker; how to change the world by making someone's day ~

DayMaker - any thought, word, or deed that spreads happiness, compassion, or fruitful ideas.
~ Annis Cassells ~

Thursday, August 11, 2016

My Encounter with Home-grown Racism

By my outward appearance, no one could tell. I stood tall and straight as I pushed my grocery cart toward the parking lot. But inside, my stomach roiled. My chest burned. My thoughts raced: In my 73 years I haven’t come face to face with anything like this. No wonder young black people are so angry.

While I shopped, a boulder of a man stood across one of the produce aisles from me. Over the piles of potatoes and onions, I only saw his massive shoulders and the bear claws tattooed on his scalp. I’m a writer so I observed the size of those claws and how the sharp toenails pointed skyward. I made a mental note: when I get to the car, I’ll jot that in my notebook.

Twenty minutes later, I found myself behind this same man in the checkout line. His raft of groceries and sundry items covered the conveyor belt, and the cashier was ringing up his purchases. I noticed his heavy brown shoes, laces on his left shoe trailing on the floor, his legs like silos stretching up to his large body. Then I saw the tops of his forearms, heavily tattooed with some kind of leafy pattern. He reached to place a full plastic bag in his basket. On the side of his arm, a tattoo that ran from wrist to elbow flashed. The letters, within a border that was pointed on both ends, spelled WHITE.

Now I had to see the other arm. So I put my groceries onto the belt and strolled past the man to the front aisle. After pretending to look at a poster on the wall, I turned around to see him placing another filled bag in his basket. His right arm sported a similar huge shape with a word inside. As I moved to pass him to return to my spot in line, I stole a glance at the word. PRIDE.

I was standing within inches of a person who silently, yet openly, displayed and spewed his hatred. That’s when my body reacted. Heat in my chest and a sickness in my belly. Sure, I knew people like him are out there, both individuals and hate groups. But in line beside me? Right here in my Oregon community?

No wonder young black people are so angry. Too many Americans don’t get it. They ask why blacks don’t just forget about the days of slavery, the Civil Rights movement, the killing of young black men. Too many don’t get that the words “black lives matter” are not only a call for justice but also a reminder to ourselves, in the face of everyday blatant racism: we matter.

I’m grateful for this jolting experience. As a black woman whose brushes with overt racism have been few, I’ve been educated about racism’s prevalence and its effects at the visceral level. It put me in tune with how many people of color must feel -- and deal with these attitudes -- on a too-regular basis.

There is little we can do to alter the hard-core, ingrained prejudiced beliefs and behaviors that exist in some members of our society.

But all of us can work to create change in the system. We can make a conscious effort to raise our children in a culture of “one nation” that connects rather than divides. A country and culture that believes it and means it when we recite “with liberty and justice for all.” 


Then maybe one day, no one will be so angry.

~ xoA ~




29 comments:

  1. I wish the world were different and try really hard to do my bit.

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    1. That's what it takes, Mar. Thanks for reading and responding. xoA

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  2. Thank you for the reminder of "No wonder young black people are so angry." It's so sad that hate is encouraged and displayed so proudly.

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    1. Shirley, you're right, it is a sad thing. And, when this kind of hate not right in our faces, within our experience, it's easy to forget that it exists. Thanks for your comments. xoA

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  3. My body quivers just reading your description of the man. We must never forget the suffering of others, lest we repeat history, albeit subconsciously (or consciously). Living mindfully takes courage.

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    1. His appearance was formidable, and though we never had eye contact, I felt uncomfortable. Mindful living does take courage, Anke. Thank you for reading and commenting. xoA

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  4. Sometimes I get so used to living in DC - a diverse international urban area - that I forget about overt racism. Yet every now and then I, too, run across someone who shocks me. And this after being around plenty of people who LOOK like the folks Mama warned me about, yet are as kind and considerate as they can be because we're all on two wheels on a moto ride. Sorry to hear of your encounter.

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    1. You make a great point, Sylvia. There are good folks who can look "sketchy" but when we have common interests their appearance fades and we see the people underneath. I appreciate you reading and sharing. xoA

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  5. Sending you so much love right now. Thank you for sharing this experience. *Hugs*

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    1. Thanks for responding, Morgan. This incident was far removed from my experience and for that of most of the folks I know. So, I thought it worth sharing for the awareness and reminder that this type of thing still happens. xoA

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  6. This kind of incipient racism is heart-wrenching. Thank you, Annis, for writing about what you saw and your reaction. I'm remembering a saying from Summerhill that went something like: We have the freedom to do any thing, any thing at all -- as long as it does not hurt another.

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    1. Thanks, Beth. I could not help but share this story. Like too many of us, I lived "removed" from these kinds of incidents. Opening one's eyes to this is painful, but necessary. I appreciate you writing. xoA

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  7. I look up to you, my friend. I have never had to deal with this and can only pray that our world gets better. Great story, eloquently told. And sister, I cannot believe you are 73!!!! Youngest 73-year old on the planet. xo

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    1. Dana, thanks for taking the time to read and respond. We can hope and we can do something to help it get better. Maybe it's a tough conversation. Maybe it's extending friendship or just getting to know someone who is different than us.

      And, yes, 73 this last birthday a few weeks ago. But, inside, I'm 40! xoA

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  8. Our national and personal histories play a significant role in how we experience people and situations. Our childhood experiences, memories, flags, symbols, words, songs, sounds, certain foods, and numerous other triggers cause everyone to react, assume, and respond. Listening to each other, respecting differences, responding with empathy, and showing compassion gives us an opportunity to learn and grow. It is only when we have courage to share our experiences and feelings, that we can make a difference. Annis, thank you for your courage and for allowing us to see through your eyes.

    Hug,
    Sue Speake

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    1. Hi Sue. I could not help but share this story. My hope is it would make more people aware of how it is "out there" in the world.

      I sure appreciate you pointing out the variety of ways we experience the world and make assumptions - and how we can learn and grow. Thanks so much! xoA

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  9. My price comes from seeing the American Gymnastics Team comprised of Hispanic, Jewish, Black, and White.

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    1. Yes, Felice. That really is something to be proud of! Thanks for writing. xoA

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  10. Thank you for sharing this, Annis. I am angry, reading it, and wondering what I, a white woman, could say to him. Or even, more likely, to a person who asks, "Don't all lives matter?" Yes, of course; that's the point.

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    1. Malinda, thanks for reading and sharing your reaction and thoughts. There's probably nothing anyone could say to this man. But one conversation at a time, we might be able to get folks thinking and talking and making a difference. xoA

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    2. My precious friend, When you hurt, I hurt. Sending my love, Connie C.

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    3. Dear Connie ~ Thanks for your sweet note. Though I did feel pain in that moment and for a time afterward, I am a whole lot more awake now. I witnessed this first-hand, not in a newspaper article or on tv. That made it more real. Even though I share the "we" of black people and the knowledge atrocious things keep happening to us, I have lived outside overt racism. This incident has been a real catalyst for me. Hugs, xoA

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  11. Dear Annis,
    How hard it is to see hatred up close and know so many people see it on a regular basis. Seeing it play out on TV is hard enough! It frightens me to see the crowd mentality surging forward.
    Love, Marilee

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    1. Yes, Marilee. That was the take-away for me: so many see and deal with this on a regular basis. And, I agree, the increase in crowd/mob mentality is frightening. Let us hope folks will begin to think and act to make things better for everyone. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here. xoA

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  12. Annis, too many emails in my box made me miss this post of yours. Now, as I read it I too quiver inside and feel an anger grow up inside me towards those who carry around such hatred for "the other", whose very existence is a threat to so many people of color in our nation; I share your feelings and know we must all fight this horrible "racism" that threatens the fiber of our democracy as well as the individual lives it hurts! My new great grandson, JJ, a darling baby of 2 months is the son of an African American and my granddaughter. I am proud to say we are a family mixed races and feel it is so important we help raise him to be proud, good and kind to all. May others be that way to him! And may he never fear for his life based on the color of his skin!! I read a wonderful article in the August 22 issue of the New Yorker, just today about the courageous work of
    Bryon Stevenson, who founded the Equal Justice Initiative and has spent his life working to end the injustices in our Criminal Justice system and to aid those unjustly sentenced to Death Row in Alabama. He is now working to bring awareness to how death row sentencing of blacks is todays lynching! He is someone I call one of my Heroes!

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    1. Thanks, Sher, for reading and commenting. I pray for peace and justice and an end to the violence that befalls all of us because of hating others because of the color of their skin.

      Thanks for the article recommendation. I will look for it.

      Blessings upon your family and your new, welcome great grandson. What a lucky baby he is. Hugs, xoA

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    2. Thanks, Sher, for reading and commenting. I pray for peace and justice and an end to the violence that befalls all of us because of hating others because of the color of their skin.

      Thanks for the article recommendation. I will look for it.

      Blessings upon your family and your new, welcome great grandson. What a lucky baby he is. Hugs, xoA

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  13. Yikes. That man would have scared me, too, and I am white. I cannot fully imagine how you felt but I can empathize and I am sorry that this is your experience. I am sorry this is our experience, that this is a version of America that is alive and well and ugly. And I worry that things are heating up in a way that they haven't for a while, that candidates like Donald Trump provide a climate where this kind of thing becomes more blatant. Ugh. That man would send chills up any thinking person's spine. This summer has been one that has pushed us all to think harder - in my community, we border on Falcon Heights, Minnesota, where Philando Castille's death at the hands of a police officer has riled up many people who wish things were more balanced, kinder, more just.

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Kathleen. Yes, things are heating up or we are at least more aware. I can imagine how riled the folks in your area must be, following murder of Philando Castille. When I saw the video, I was stunned into disbelief. But then I came back.

      May reason and justice prevail. Hugs, xoA

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