This reminds me of a story i tell often. About 10 years ago, i was going on one round of the job interviews that landed me my current gig. So i do own a black trenchcoat. For my interview wear i pull out my grey suit, solid shirt, subtle black and white tie, my trenchcoat (as it was during winter), my black leather gloves and my executive folder.
So after the interview is done and I'm on the train, i see this older white man look over at me with a once over and started talking to me. He said a few things to "test me" (we talked some business related topics) and i felt him relax more as the conversation went on.
Here's the takeaway:
1) He wasn't used to seeing well dressed, articulate brown folks.
2) The ones he knows always assumed that they're trying to be businessmen.
3) If i was in my regular gear he would t have approached me.
4) If i wasn't in a good mood as i had just closed the job, i wouldn't have talked back to his nappy ***.
Hecwasnt dressed up either, and that's why i never forget this story. "So you walked over to try to drop knowledge on me based on how i look - like i only was dressed up but not actually articulate - and by the time you left I was schooling you in a manner that fit how you were dressed? That's so sad, especially here in the great NYC..."
There's ways the strong undercut or race and ethnicity troubles that will longer over this country until everyone decides to do thr difficult work of checking their **** st the door and working through their **** so we all have a fighting chance to truly grow as a nation.
Posted via Moto Maxx
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