HONORING THE “OTHER”
“Go home Arabs. Go back where you came from.” Ten years ago my youngest daughter who was only 10 years old heard these cruel words shouted at here from across the street. Born in America of parents whose ancestry goes back nearly 10,000 years on this continent, it was yet another blow, another negative remark to endure…in silence. Father Leslie was with Vee at the time. He called back across the street, “ Just keep walkin’ okay!” It took Vee two years to tell me what happened. Perhaps because she pushed it out of her mind or perhaps because she chose to focus on more important things.
The other day it came around again on a public bus but in a different form. Two young ladies about five years younger than my daughter (who is now 20) sat down behind her and began loudly proclaiming that they felt like “beating up a lite-skinned girl today.” She tried to ignore it as long as she could and when the aisle cleared she eventually got up and moved closer to the front of the bus only to be told by a young man that he was going to do certain things (unmentionable). Again, she had to ignore it (not enough room to kick).
It all came rushing back by the time she came home from work though and she let loose talking about the daily barrage of negativity she encountered due to her ambiguous racial appearance. Just once, she noted, just once I wish somebody would stand up and say something to back me up, to give me my dignity back. And when, she wanted to know, is that gonna be?
~MN~3-30-11~
