Racism Still Exists

Something has been heavy on my heart since I saw another post last night. I feel I need to lay some light on the subject and maybe open some people’s eyes to the truth some people face every day. I’ve seen a lot of posts that say racism doesn’t exist, and things like racism didn’t exist until Obama took office. And if you think racism doesn’t exist or has only existed since Obama, let me tell you a story of a little girl who’s life has been affected by racism her entire life.

At the age of 5 or 6 she was asked why she wanted the “brown” doll vs the white doll, I know very minimal right? But what that person who asked her didn’t realize is she wanted the brown doll because she was brown and how is the brown doll bad if she’s brown, did that mean she was bad? Now skip a few years to second grade, her best friend was a little Hispanic girl, but that friendship wouldn’t last, because the little girls step dad wouldn’t allow her friend to come over or her to go over to her friend’s house, all because of her race. She heard things like “I’ll never have a “beaner” in my house, and I’ll be damned if my kid will be friends with one.” (Now here’s a disclaimer, there will be a lot of derogatory words throughout this post to make it completely clear that racism does exist, I’m sorry and I ask for your understanding and forgiveness I do not use any of these words but it’s necessary to make the point.)

Okay, so skip a few more years into elementary and junior high, the little girl got asked more times than she could count, what are you? Meaning what race was she, she wasn’t white and she didn’t look Mexican so no one could figure it out that she was mixed, Native American and white. All while being told by her step dad at home that if she got any darker she’d be his little “nigger baby.” Along with living with the n word being used only to describe blacks and “spick” to describe Mexican, “gook” to describe any Asian person and it just keeps going. This little girl only heard derogatory words to describe or refer to any one from another race. And wasn’t allowed to eat rice that often because it was “gook” food.

Now into high school where she was called a fat spick and teased all along the way by kids who just couldn’t figure out how this little girl had a brother who looked nothing like her. And even almost getting into a fight because of what one girl said about her brother.

And then she got to college and her friend from high school told her to “take your nigger lovin Ebonics somewhere else” all because she said “holla at your girl.” And being called a “wagon burner”. Now if you don’t know what a wagon burner is, it’s a derogatory phrase to describe Native Americans because they burned the white man’s wagons in history. And when pulled over by the police she was asked to get out of the car and accompany the cop to the back of the car while the driver stayed in the car, just to be questioned what was really going on when the cop didn’t believe the driver all because he was black and obviously something he said had to be a lie, why would a white girl let a black man drive her car, right?

Skip another few years when she met the man she thought she would marry she was told it was a sin against the Bible and against God to marry outside your race. She was told to not have children with this man, but how could that be when she was bi-racial- didn’t that mean you were telling her she was a sin herself? And if this was the case how could you be with her mother who created this sin???

Now to modern day. Every day she goes somewhere with her husband and they get stares, comments and dirty looks from bystanders. And don’t think this is from a certain age group of people, no this is from all ages and all races, ranging from old down to teenagers. Getting comments like, “stealing one of our men” from black women, or when she was walking in the mall with her son and some kids said hi to her son but while walking away they smirked “is that his mom, hahaha no that can’t be his mom, she’s white.”
All of this is the life people live, on a regular basis, this little girl is your sister, your aunt, your cousin, daughter and granddaughter.

This is the life I’ve lived, and although it may not be everyone’s life, some may have it worse and some may not even be able to conceive what it feels like to be called those names or be told those things. But for those who haven’t experienced racism don’t say it doesn’t exist, just say you haven’t experienced it. Because it does exist and its all around us and know when you say it doesn’t exist or didn’t exist until Obama took office, it’s sending the message to someone you know and love that it doesn’t matter. But it does matter and it is extremely hurtful to see, hear and experience. Just because you don’t experience it doesn’t mean the person next to you doesn’t either. Be mindful, be respectful and know all people have different experiences and different struggles they deal with on a regular basis. What effects you may not effect them and visa versa.