i remember being told
“people like you...you don’t pay rent.. you move in.. then you won’t pay rent” by a super showing me an apartment in Brooklyn, then he proceeded to tell me and the realtor who found me the apartment that the original $150 application fee had changed to $850 to apply for the apartment.
“I am sorry, I do not want to work with you” says a woman with her head turned to the side - without ever looking at me in the face. “and you have gum in your mouth? it makes you look uneducated. I want to work with someone else” she says - then proceeds to tell my manager that she does not want to work with a black person.
“I don’t want your food you little n*gger” words shouted from a homeless person who was upset after I asked them if they wanted some food since they were on the street with a sign asking for food and money.
When I was a newspaper photographer back in the day, I was let backstage before a concert began. I went in the back of the stage looking for the contact person on my assignment sheet. As I looked for a person working for the venue, a large man who was a bodyguard of some sort saw me and immediately demanded, “why are you backstage?” I say to him that I hv a press pass - showed him my credentials hanging from my neck - and say that I was looking for a particular person. He proceeds to tell me, you need to get out of backstage bc you do not belong here. I say sure ok, I will go but I just need to find a staff member who I can connect with bc I have an assignment to cover the concert. I start walking off slowly, back towards the front of the stage, phone in hand calling my editor. I also had a camera and a press pass hanging on my neck - so there was no mistake that I was with press. Once in front of the stage, I stop to continue waiting for my editor to pickup. This guy comes up from behind me and screams, “lets go!”. I say ok, give me a second - I am calling my editor plus I am no longer backstage. He then proceeds to come up to my face and put his hands on me - physically pushing me backwards up the sloped isle with his stomach. I yell get your hangs off me and do not touch me as I am being forced to back up and out of the theater. He doesn’t care and physically puts his hands on me again, grabs me by my jacket and throws me out of the venue’s front doors. I was so angry because it was uncalled for him to feel like he could put his hands on my and scream at me. But he did because he felt like he could. I felt violated and attacked. This was a grown man that was much larger than my 5ft 3in frame.
Those are just some of my stories. I’ve been spat at. I’ve been bullied.
As a human being when those things happened to me, I laughed them off as a defense reaction of disbelief that people would actually say or do things of that nature still to this day.
Cant lie .. It still hurt.. it still stung.. still got angry about it.. felt annoyed because of having to learn to just deal with it being the way that is it.
Still had to let it roll off my back. Still had to go back to work and help another person and smile. Still had to find another apt to look at. Still had to go hang out with my friends and act like meh, people are dumb and say dumb things sometimes.
Still had to act like it is just a part of life. It is something that happens. Ok move on. Ok, don’t get angry.
we’ve seen these stories before : broken broomsticks used to violate, shotguns used in fear, ropes used to hang, water hoses to drown out voices, bullets fired into bodies out of anger, teargas used to silence, privilege used to as a reason to question and kill
viewing an individual as less than just because of their skin color
is ignorant.
wake up.
These things are happening around the world and They will continue to happen
unless something is said
until something in this world actually changes...
the change has to come from the heart and minds of human beings and translate into action with changing and pushing mental health awareness, new policies, rules, regulations and education.
i have some hope
and i will try to find a way to see how I can make a contribution in some way as well.
do not stay oblivious to what is really going on to people all over the world who are being treated unfairly because of the color of their skin, their beliefs, who they love, or where they live.
“There is no excuse for human rights abuse” is what was being chanted during protests.
There is no excuse for any human rights abuse. Fight against that. Take a stance.
