Color Choice

Ever wondered why the color of one's skin makes a difference in the way you are treated, getting a job, a loan with your local bank, purchasing an automobile, being accepted into college, renting an apartment, or just traveling and being a suspect with TSA staff? It's all well planned and thought out for one reason, to keep the masses fighting and hating each other so that rich people get richer, banks get richer, stockholders get richer, billion dollar corporations get richer, CEOs & upper management receive large profits, and working class people continue to struggle to survive. It's time for the brainwashing to stop. The rich owners of corporations and factories are the reason people are poor, not the person of color working beside you for the same wage although it's a great marketing strategy of lies. We need to stop being angry at the immigrant trying to make a better life. It's time to be angry with the companies that continue to exploit us so they can pay lower wages and maximise their profits.

When I was a little boy, I had no idea what the color of one's skin meant at all. Like most kids I wanted to have fun with my friends and play until you heard your mother calling your name to come in for dinner because it's getting dark. I grew up in a neighbourhood where all the neighbours were called Auntie, Uncle, Grandma or Grandpa. As children we all considered each other to be a brother or sister. No one ever asked my race as I didn't know what race was, in fact I thought it was a game of running. Growing up in a creole/french family, now I think back on it, my relatives were like a rainbow of colors. Coming from school with my friends, we would enter the home of whomever was home, sit quietly to do our homework and then go out to play until called in for a snack. For the longest time I would speak Creole, French, Spanish and a little Chinese because everyone took care of the children until your parents came home from work. When I entered high school, I learned the meaning of color. Initially I attended a Black high school in my neighbourhood and I noticed how others were treated and how I was treated. Teachers would often call on me to run errands to the office or to work in the office while other kids were not even allowed or trusted to do anything. Often I was called the teacher's pet and teased, but I didn't understand, but I knew I wasn't a cat or a puppy. One day my older sister explained to me why I was treated differently than other students and also her. She put her hand next to mine and said what do you see? I said, "My sister's beautiful soft skin." She shouted, look again and blurted out, "My skin is dark and you are high yellow, you are a redbone." I had no idea what she meant. She broke it down that black people always treated lighter skin black people better. I asked why and she said just because which made no sense to me. I really didn't see a difference.

My sister had tried several times to be in the high school band and was rejected. She wanted to be a majorette and was rejected over and over again. Finally one day, she received a yes because they were short of a person. Being 10 years older she had many stories and tasks for me to try. She told me to express interest in wanting to be in the band, on the student council or to become a cheerleader. I laughed non-stop. She bet me $5 that I would be accepted to all of them if I requested it. I was crushed to lose my $5 to her. I applied for the fun of it and was accepted in all of them. I became the little mascot with the cheerleaders and then became a cheerleader. Then it dawned on me, it was because of the color of my skin which to this day still leaves me baffled.

I went on to college and after changing my major many times like most young people, I decided to become a teacher. My first teaching job after my teacher training was completed was with an elementary school where I was selected to teach a class to first graders during the summer on Racism & Discrimination, along with Art. I was terrified and tried to turn the job down over and over again but the panel would not take no for an answer. I loved the children I was teaching. They were of all races and colors and all loved each other. They reminded me of my youth. Even today, I miss my brothers and sisters from my childhood as we were snatched apart from each other by society because Blacks could not mix with Latinos or Asian/Pacific Islanders because we must now compete against each other. After teaching the entire summer, I learned a very important lesson, young children don't care about the color of the skin of their friends or playmates at all and could not tell the difference. I would ask them, "Do you like green beans?" They all yelled, NO! I asked if they liked lime or green ice-cream and they all said YES! I tried to explain to them if you like green ice-cream why don't you like green beans, they are both green. No one understood and the hands went up. Yes, I responded. And one by one they said, "Can we go out and play with our friends now?" I was quite tickled and learned a lot. I also wondered when and how do children change. I discovered it was around 10 or 11 years old and mostly from watching and imitating their parents or older siblings.

One of the important lessons that I learned prepared me for applying for jobs. Having a name that was spelled rather oddly helped me to get in the door. Once I entered the door, I noticed the frightened looks on the faces of the non-ethnic interview panelists and resentment on the faces of black panel members. It was clear that they were not looking for anyone of color, especially if they already had the token one. Many thought I was German, Jewish or Russian so time taught me to have fun with it especially when it was time to ask them questions. I often would say, tell me the type of person you are looking for to fill this position or does the color of my skin scare you? I enjoyed watching them try to convince me that they didn't notice the color of my skin and all of them had at least one Black, Asian or Latino friend that they loved. Usually 8 out of 10 times, I would get the job so they would feel better about themselves and hopefully it made a difference in how the next future candidate would be treated.

Between 2017 and 2019 I started to notice a change that felt extremely negative against people of color, especially women of color in the workforce. During this time I worked in Public Health and with Government organisations where I have never experienced so much racism against people of color throughout my entire career. Fortunately, I had a very good and strong leader and boss that supported her staff. Once I got over the initial shock, life lessons from working with the Obama Administration in Washington, DC took over and I become a RoboCop. Whenever a racist manager or director would get out of line, I could field my metal shields covering my entire body and the response from my lips would leave them with a look of fear because I truly meant everything that came from me to stop their racist comments against anyone of color. I took joy at calling them out for being racist. Inside I was smiling. Even today, when I walk into a store, restaurant or enter a location with nasty people, my DC shields instantly cover my body and I become that tough being. The only different now is that I use my emotional intelligence training skills to handle 98% of most situations. Now that's another post to be written.

While working in Washington, DC, I was pushed to learn about the War on Drugs. After reading tons of documents it was noted that it was a fake advertising campaign created to target communities of color and to keep the private prison system making billions. It was also a plan to scare White people and teach that Black and Brown people will rob you, rape you, or kill you so beware and do not enter an elevator with one of them and if you see one, hold your purse very close to your side to keep them from snatching it. The report told me there never was a problem with drugs and that it was all created under the Richard Nixon Administration. The truth is: The war on drugs has always been a pointless sham. For decades the federal government has engaged in a shifting series of alliances of convenience with some of the world’s largest drug cartels. So while the U.S. incarceration rate has quintupled since President Nixon first declared the war on drugs in 1971, top narcotics dealers have simultaneously enjoyed protection at the highest levels of power in America. You can probably guess who are the ones locked up in prisons.

Lessons in life has helped me to understand why people of color are feared or hated because of the manipulation of advertising from those with the power to keep us all fighting against each other instead of creating unity to become a stronger force. It's another reason why unions are constantly under attack. Think about it. I have also learned that I am judged by the color of my skin, good or bad and I am aware, finally, of the privileges that I have that those of darker skin do not have. Regardless, I have always used those few privileges that I have to help others that could not get through the door. While working in DC, often those in the role of receptionist would place an X on the back of resumes when people of color were coming in to be interviewed for an internship and I was instructed to never hire those with an X. Many were young black or brown people with sagging pants, no socks or bad body posture. I would work with them to educate them and often purchased belts, or a shirt or trousers for them at Filene's Basement. It made a huge difference in the lives of young people that didn't expect anyone to care. It gave them hope as I encouraged them to always treat someone with respect and offer help.

I have been in situations where the person judging me is not even aware that they are being as horrible as a straight up racist person. It's called unconscious or implicit bias which may introduce unintentional discrimination, especially in the workforce, in families and in relationships. Although I have been a strong warrior most of my life, I am aware of the impact that it can cause on one's health. Today, I am dealing with racial healing and becoming healthier thru mindfulness, meditation, eating better and being tender and loving myself more. It also brings me great joy to be in a loving relationship and family as I become even stronger.