We went to the opening of a photography exhibit in Orange County on Saturday night. They served dinner and drinks. We got a plate of food and sat down at one of the many communal tables available. An older man, maybe in his sixties, and a fifty-something woman visiting from New York were sitting next to us (they didn't know each other). So we chatted with them:
Older man (to us): So where are you from?
Me: We live in Pasadena. And You?
Older man: I live here. Born and raised. Where are you from (to the woman)?
Woman: I live in New York, but I'm from Morocco.
Kadin: I grew up on the East Coast.
Woman: Do you like it here?
Kadin: Not really. I prefer the East Coast. But I like the warm weather.
Woman: Just say it. You hate it here.
Older man: Why would you hate it here? It's California, man! We have beaches, mountains...
Kadin: Well, I was born in the Caribbean and they have great beaches. And I went to college in Florida, where there are really nice beaches, too.
Older man: But we have great surf. It's all about the surf, man!
Kadin: Yeah, but the beaches in Florida are clean.
Older man: That's true. Our beaches are polluted. So school in Florida, huh?
Kadin: Yeah, after living on the East Coast, I really wanted to be somewhere warm. It was a small liberal arts college.
Older man: So you got a United Negro College Fund to go there?
(*YUP, HE ACTUALLY SAID THIS. I ALMOST CHOKED ON MY POTATO AND SPILLED MY CHEAP WINE.)
Kadin: No, I went there after going to prep school, where I was the only black male. And the college in Florida had other black students. And I also went to Yale, where there are all kinds of students.
Woman: Just say it. People here are stupid.
Okay you guys, if you don't know, the United Negro College Fund is an organization that gives funding to a list of what they call "member colleges." These are historically black universities and colleges. The idea is to pump up these colleges, (they also offer scholarships to students from low- and moderate-income families) and pump up enrollment in an effort to make sure that black kids are receiving the same access to and quality of education and opportunities as the majority.
It's a valuable organization, but that doesn't mean that that's the only way black people go to college. I swear, we cannot go anywhere without someone singling out or focusing on Kadin's skin color, Sabine's skin color or the difference in all of our skin color.
WTF? And for the record, I LOVE California. But older man is really making us look bad.
1 comment:
FUUUUCKKK! Sorry. But who says crap like this. Why? Why? So sorry your husband has to deal with this bullshit (just like I, you and every other non-white person). Geeze!
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