Well we all know unfortunately about the many many many news stories about police brutality and impact that law enforcement has on people of color in this country.
But while those situations happen in direct personal contact so to speak, I’m thinking about the situations that happen in passerby situations. Like, at security checkpoints in airports, art festivals, you name it!
Now, I’m not sure to all it’s entirety what other folks of color experience in these situations.
And, I’m sure my experience is unfortunately probably very unlike theirs.
But, judging from my experience say at Denver PRIDEFEST 2017, I would say a lot of people of color would give anything to maybe get a similar experience.
*back track*
I had just arrived at the entrance to the Denver PRIDEFEST grounds with my white friend who had only a water bottle and her purse. They searched her bag for about 50 seconds and moved her on through. I was next in line. I had my big blue backpack with the thousand pockets in it.
The security checkpoint officer, young woman, mid 30’s maybe just stared really hard at me.
Not my bag. Me. Mind you they didn’t even touch the bag. Then she just perked up very suddenly as if someone had just injected her butt with a million rays of sunshine and said “Okay, you’re good to go! Have fun!”
....the bag remained untouched.
Seeing as I come from the “terrorist part of the world” and I AM and Indian man, it was shocking to see how easy I got off than the next dark skinned guy who came in line after me.
I felt that the whole “terrorist stereotype” was destroyed.
But I didn’t feel good about it. ...because it was only destroyed for me.
But while those situations happen in direct personal contact so to speak, I’m thinking about the situations that happen in passerby situations. Like, at security checkpoints in airports, art festivals, you name it!
Now, I’m not sure to all it’s entirety what other folks of color experience in these situations.
And, I’m sure my experience is unfortunately probably very unlike theirs.
But, judging from my experience say at Denver PRIDEFEST 2017, I would say a lot of people of color would give anything to maybe get a similar experience.
*back track*
I had just arrived at the entrance to the Denver PRIDEFEST grounds with my white friend who had only a water bottle and her purse. They searched her bag for about 50 seconds and moved her on through. I was next in line. I had my big blue backpack with the thousand pockets in it.
The security checkpoint officer, young woman, mid 30’s maybe just stared really hard at me.
Not my bag. Me. Mind you they didn’t even touch the bag. Then she just perked up very suddenly as if someone had just injected her butt with a million rays of sunshine and said “Okay, you’re good to go! Have fun!”
....the bag remained untouched.
Seeing as I come from the “terrorist part of the world” and I AM and Indian man, it was shocking to see how easy I got off than the next dark skinned guy who came in line after me.
I felt that the whole “terrorist stereotype” was destroyed.
But I didn’t feel good about it. ...because it was only destroyed for me.
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