I love to run. I run on this asphalt path beside the main road in my neighborhood. Whenever I run, I may pass Hispanics, Blacks, whites, Asians; its a very diverse community. When you run on the path, most people run to the right side, just like how we drive on the right side of the road. Recently, I noticed how when I would meet some white people, they would be on the "wrong side." Normally, without thought, I would always move over to get out of the way. I would be all in the grass and sticks to let people pass, because Im just nice like that.
Then one day I thought, "Why am I moving over for these people? Why can't they move over for me?" Then I started thinking about my AFAM classes I took back in college. I thought about Fannie Lou Hamer who was beaten until she said "Yessir" to a white man. I thought about how Blacks used to have to get off the side walk and tip their hats whenever they met with a white person.
Ok, so yesterday I was out running. More like speed walking. Well, I came up on this white couple who were walking their dog . . . on the wrong side. Again, without thinking, I just moved right on over to the left side. And I thought to myself, "These people didn't even look as if they thought about moving over for me. They assumed I was supposed to move over." So I made a commitment to myself that if I saw another white person on the wrong side, I was not going to move over, just to see what happened. And sure enough, about 5 minutes later, I met a white woman walking her dog. I was walking too at this point. She didn't try to move over. I walked right up to her and her dog. I stopped. She stopped. She was not going to move over. I looked down at her dog because he was sniffing my legs, but I didn't move. Then she moved over and walked past. Her dog was still sniffing me (I bout kicked him, but it wasn't his fault); so she literally jerked his leash to pull him up to where she was.
I kept walking with a sly grin on my face.
5 comments:
I'm just gon' go ahead and skip my sermon on white privilege ... and male privilege ... and Lawd knows white, male privilege. (Erin, I know you feeling me on this.)
I respectfully decline to comment on white privilege, male privilege and white male privilege...
Do it, Ronda! Make them move...
only ronda...
Well Rell, sometimes the mainstream society tries so hard to make you conscious of your blackness. And when you finally are "conscious" and the ball is in your court, you are seen as extra.
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