Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

 

 



My grandma shared a story about an experience that she encountered. Before my grandfather went off the serve our country, He purchased my grandmother a brand new car. He wanted to ensure that she would be able to do what she needed to do for her and their three children on her own. Months after he had been gone my grandmother decided to apply for a few positions while the children were at school. This would give her something to do and it would give her a little extra cash for gas and other things. She managed to land a part time job as a cook. That was fine with her because she could get the kids to school, work and be on time to pick them up.

Only one week into the job one of her Caucasian co –workers saw her getting out of the car. She jokingly replied; “They must really like your cooking”. Soon after rumors was flying about my grandmother’s car.  Finally the owner came to her and asked her about the car and where did she get it from. Then he suggested that it was causing a ruckus among the other employers; he concluded by asking her to park her car a few blocks away from them and walk to work like the other workers that catch the bus. He implied that; “that kind of car (for a woman of color) makes people feel like she is better than them. And we didn’t want that.” This of course was a time when it was known that the White race was the better race and blacks were just beginning to be allowed to gain some “equal rights”.

My grandmother found a safe place she could leave the car and walked blocks to work every day. Even after others began to show their cars at work she continued her routine. She conveyed; “My husband was proud to be able to go off to serve this country. He wanted to be able to provide his children with some of the freedom and equality that he was not able to have as a child. He wanted this car to be a symbol of overcoming the stigmas that they had”. She never shared with my grandfather what had occurred though their letters because she did not what to discourage him. He died serving his country and never knew how she still had to adjust her life to protect their children.

This happened many many years before I was born and now in my adulthood we are still experiencing similar issues of so called equality. My grandmother used her experience to teach her children to not judge people by their possessions or appearance because you do not know the sacrifice that have been made for them to be where they are at that time. I see discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes daily in the interactions of others; however, I have learned to use it for motivation and enlighten. I laugh at their ignorance and model appropriate interaction with the people around me. I will not allow that to consume me or determine how I will live or be.

What we are dealing with is beyond the color of our skin.  It is a heart issue; it is deep within. Until we began to self evaluate ourselves and realize that we all have individual attributes that are greater than another’s in various areas and the ability to combine them, we will never do the great things that can truly accomplished as an people, and a nation, as a Whole.