It was a Tuesday, which meant a trip to the record store was in order to check out some new music releases. My college roommate, Anna, at the time had a car and offered to drive me to the Media Play down the street from campus.
We met up after our morning classes and headed over to the store so as to avoid a crowd and the chance to browse at our leisure.
I made my way to the R&B section. I was minding my own business and in the midst of deciding between New Edition or the latest Mary J. Blige CD, when I noticed that I was being watched.
I looked up and over to the other side of the CD rack and noticed three black guys, around my age, staring and whispering like they were discussing a museum exhibit. I made eye contact with two of they guys and went back to reading the back of the CD I had in my hand when I heard someone very loudly proclaim, “SHE AIN’T BLACK!”
Obviously, they were talking about me.
So I looked back up at them and said:
“Do y’all have something to say to me?”
They all froze and stared at me like deer caught in the headlights.
“Naw, naw … we straight,” one of them replied, and they all briskly walked off.
I shook my head and silently giggled to myself when I noticed my roommate, who was white, standing behind me in a state of shock with her mouth wide open.
“You ready?” I asked her.
“I CANNOT believe they said that to you!” Anna said.
“I know. But that’s normal and it happens all the time,” I explained to her.
“That’s not right!” she exclaimed.
“It isn’t but that’s my life,” was all I could tell her. “I’m ready if you are?”
Then we made our way to the register and paid for our CDs.
We met up after our morning classes and headed over to the store so as to avoid a crowd and the chance to browse at our leisure.
I made my way to the R&B section. I was minding my own business and in the midst of deciding between New Edition or the latest Mary J. Blige CD, when I noticed that I was being watched.
I looked up and over to the other side of the CD rack and noticed three black guys, around my age, staring and whispering like they were discussing a museum exhibit. I made eye contact with two of they guys and went back to reading the back of the CD I had in my hand when I heard someone very loudly proclaim, “SHE AIN’T BLACK!”
Obviously, they were talking about me.
So I looked back up at them and said:
“Do y’all have something to say to me?”
They all froze and stared at me like deer caught in the headlights.
“Naw, naw … we straight,” one of them replied, and they all briskly walked off.
I shook my head and silently giggled to myself when I noticed my roommate, who was white, standing behind me in a state of shock with her mouth wide open.
“You ready?” I asked her.
“I CANNOT believe they said that to you!” Anna said.
“I know. But that’s normal and it happens all the time,” I explained to her.
“That’s not right!” she exclaimed.
“It isn’t but that’s my life,” was all I could tell her. “I’m ready if you are?”
Then we made our way to the register and paid for our CDs.
Light and All Write 