Disclaimer: Not everyone from Vermont had these views. This post is not a reflection on what people in Vermont think etc. This post is about the most racist experience I had while in Vermont and the girl was not even from Vermont. Again this blog series is about me speaking up about things that happened to me and others while in Vermont. It is also about educating others on my experience because SO MANY had asked me questions about my experience in Vermont. There is racism all over the nation and sadly, all over the globe. However, I want to stress that these are just my experiences that occurred while in a part of the nation with no diversity and these experiences can happen anywhere in the nation. There is even racism in New York City or Metro-Detroit for that matter and these are VERY diverse areas. Also, I am in no way saying that Vermont is a racist state etc. Vermont is a liberal state, but even in a liberal state, there can be things that happen that are racist. I am not saying that Vermont is more racist than any other state in the nation by any means. Again, this is just my experience being in a rural town that lacked the diversity I was used to. Finally, there were MANY amazing people I met in Vermont.
Hello guys! This is not the happiest post in the world so I am just going to jump right into it. While in the state of Vermont I experienced microaggressions nearly every day. However, this experience that I am about to describe was truly the most heartbreaking. During the summer after my first year in law school I went on a study abroad trip. This trip was not my first study abroad trip nor was it my first international travel experience. While on the trip I roomed with a girl who I did not really know. This girl was nice to me, but started to become cold and distance very soon into the trip. I can honestly say that I am a respectful person, but I will not force someone to be my friend (or care for that matter lol). Even though this girl become ruder and ruder to me I still was the bigger person and just brushed it off. However, I soon reached me breaking point…
My breaking point came during a casual, civil, and pleasant conversation (that the girl was not a part of) in a taxi cab about important issues. During this conversation my roommate barked at me and spewed some VERY BLATENETLY racist remarks. This girl jumped into my conversation about the use of the word Nigga (not Nigger). I had stated that anyone who was not black should not say the word Nigga even though I knew that they were not being intentionally derogatory when they say Nigga. This girl jumped at me and said, “So I can’t use the N-Word” and I asked her a couple questions to make sure that she had not lost her mind (which she clearly had). I asked her if she had black friends and if she listened to Hip-Hop music. This girl became visibly disgusted when I asked her if she had black friends and said, “Are you assuming I have black friends, I don’t have black friends.” She then went on to tell me that she does not listen to Hip-Hop music and she said, “I do not like being told that I can’t use the N-Word.” I was shocked! It was pretty clear that this girl was not saying that she wanted to say Nigga … she wanted to use the word NIGGER!!!! It was obvious that in her eyes I was nothing but a NIGGER. Yes, the person I had to room with thought of me as a NIGGER. She had so much contempt for the extra melanin in my skin (something which I LOVE but cannot control and did not ask for) that she felt comfortable in being so offensive to somebody she ROOMED WITH.
After that racist encounter, my Metro-Detroit attitude came out lol. I just ignored her, but could you blame me? I eventually had a meeting with her and we talked about the tension between us. She was clueless until I told her how much she hurt me by being so offensive. She then told me that she grew up in a rural un-diverse area and her family was racist and then apologized. I was sad that I had to teach her about the word Nigger and that people could have such hatred for someone due to their color… it was honestly disgusting.
She ended up being “nice” to me on the trip but when I got back to school it was obvious that she had talked about me to her group of friends. Her friends treated me with contempt because I would dare to tell their bestie that I am NOT A NIGGER and you should not use that kind of language. It’s funny how some racist people will be nice to you as long as you kiss their behind and tell them that racism is a thing of the past … or let them call you a Nigger. Well, I hate to break it to some people (actually I don’t care) but I am a STRONG BLACK WOMAN (a Michelle Obama kind to be exact) and I am not a Nigger… I am a Daughter of Zion.
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