The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression
What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.
- When I was in high school I had to take the city bus to work and in the morning it would get crowded. I was sitting in the front seats of the bus and there were people standing near or close to me. This man got on the bus and stopped in front of me and stood holding the bar next to me. I looked up at one point and saw the man starring at me, when he saw me look at him, he said," black B." I was in shock, I didn't know what to say or think, I just stayed in shock.
In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?
- After I came out of shock, my first thought was he didn't like that I was sitting down, black, and in the front. When the man called me a "black B" it didn't make me want to give my seat up or cry, I just shook my head in shame.
What feelings did this incident bring up for you?
- I knew that racism was never over for blacks, some individuals just decided to accept blacks as equals and some did not. Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King came to my mind, I knew that the work they put in for blacks, now African Americans, was not in vain.
What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?
- I think the man's thoughts against black people would have to change. I'm sure he thought because he was Caucasian that he had the right to sit and I being a black girl, needed to get up and let him sit.
Thanks for sharing your incident. What an intimidating situation! I'm glad you didn't give up your seat. You had every right to confidently sit there.
ReplyDeleteHi Ayonie,
ReplyDeleteThat is very likely what he was thinking that he being a Caucasian he had the right to sit and you being a black girl should have been in the back or standing. Racial microaggression was performed clearly by his deliberate hostility toward you. I remember the days of having to ride in the back of the bus just because of my skin color and having to attend a rundown school and work from used books from the white school. It was really bad here in the south. We have come a long ways, but there is so more work to do if society is willing before equality can be obtained for the rest of us.