The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Unfortunately, I experience or witness some form of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, myself or someone else, seemingly every day.  The most recent incident that stands out the most to me is an incident that a close friend of mine experienced over this past weekend.  My friend is a Lieutenant on the police force.  He has dedicated 20+ years to servicing the cities needs and keeping people safe.  He and a group of other officers of the law are members of a motorcycle club.  They were traveling through multiple cities, going to a bikers convention for officers of the law.  There has been an abundance of thunderstorms throughout the south this past week.  They encountered some bad weather in South Carolina and had to stop overnight.  The lights were out in most of the city.  They stopped to eat at a restaurant while the rain let up.  During dinner, a white man walked up to their table and threw his basket of leftover chicken wings and bones onto the table and said, “Any of you boys want to eat the rest of this? I’ve eaten all I want”.

The gesture and statement was totally degrading to the officers and the Black Americans that they represent.  I was totally shocked! I wondered would the Caucasian man have had the nerve to say that to them had they been in uniform and representing law enforcement.  I also wonder would he have said that if he had known that each of them was carrying loaded weapons and could have used them.  I had to travel, by car, alone through the South, for a wedding this weekend.  I was afraid, for the first time, traveling alone.  I kept imagining what “ifs” as I prepared for the trip.

People would have to change in order for this incident to turn into an opportunity for greater equity.  I am proud of the officers and their behavior.  No one lost their cool to the point of anyone getting hurt.  This is a situation that could have gone bad very quickly.  I think it shows a lot of growth and strength on behalf of the Black male race.  There is a lot of black/white violent issues within our country and most temperaments are extremely high.  I applaud the officers for not acting in a way that society would want them to.