Act 3: For Real Though? You Can’t See All of This?

Small Acts of Racism

#smallactsofracism

Act 3: The responses to my first two posts have been interesting, mostly because of white people responding by stating that this happens all the time, “it is just rudeness.” Hopefully, this post will better illustrate what I mean. Let me set the stage: Take a look at the picture below and think about why Ava DuVernay named her documentary, “When They See Us.” There is a meaning in the title, in and of itself, that I would bet every Black person implicitly understands.

On an extremely hot day in July of 2019, I was at a baseball game. In fact, I wrote my first post while at the game when a similar incident occurred yet again. I was set up in my chair with my umbrella as shown below. I purposely sat in the back, so my umbrella wouldn’t obstruct any views. When I initially sat down I positioned myself behind two people whom I could see between. I also purposefully sat behind a pillar, so no one would be inclined to sit in front of me (besides the fact that they would have to squeeze between two people to see). Also, please remember, I am no longer the slip of a girl I was  in high school. I am a sizable Black woman.

Nonetheless, a man came up and positioned himself directly in front of me. He didn’t look at me and didn’t acknowledge my presence. He did ask the white woman seated down from me if he was obstructing her view, but still said nothing to me. You will notice her dog in the shot because he took up residence near me. I said nothing, just to see how this would play out. The coach began yelling at the umpire and I made a joke about the coach rushing the plate which those surrounding me laughed about. At that moment, the man turned around with a startle, genuinely surprised to see me sitting there. I mean the look on his face was one of genuine surprise. He literally didn’t see me sitting there when he arrived and acknowledged the white woman down from me.

Now giving credit where credit is due, once he noticed me, he did ask me if he was in my way. The original people had moved, so I scooted down a bit. This scenario then played out with a young white woman, a middle aged white man and a middle aged white woman. A total of three additional times. I took pics, but will not post them for their privacy.

There is a difference between rude people being rude and NOT BEING SEEN AT ALL. A person cannot choose to be rude to you, if they literally don’t see you.

Now, think about how this affects people of color everyday. If we are not seen, how does that affect customer service, hiring practices, educational opportunities and healthcare? (Just to name a few.)

#smallactsofracism