The Person of Color Hello!
It's the first day of class and you're scanning the room trying to find anyone who looks like you or whose name resembles yours. This is what often happens when college students go to class. You spot somebody, make eye contact, and acknowledge each other. We all do it, but it seems that black people are more conscious of this than Mexicans. Well, except in Seattle.
This post all goes back to a couple of days ago. My study partners, 2 black girls and one Mexicano, and I were taking a break outside of our law building before we hit the books again when a black dude walked by. The girls looked at him and he turned the other way. It was hillarious because the girls I was with started talking shit as soon as he didn't acknowledge him. One of them more than the other. The one girl, lived a long time in the South, and says that black people in the South all acknowledge each other. I'm not sure if that's true, but it sounds true.
So, I started thinking about raza. I do usually make an effort to say hello to my brethren, but even in Texas, it's not so common. Here, a couple of the Mexicanos not in my class have looked at me, but don't really say anything. The raza in my class is cool. I walked up to them on my first day of class and now I'm starting to develop a pretty good friendship w/ one of them.
It's just interesting to me how we look for people with whom we can identify.
posted by Daily Texican at 1:15 AM
4 Comments:
Just wait tills you start noticing people who are hispaniic and you know talk spanish. It could get scary at times. Saludos nórdicos and all that ese.
11:37 AM
I am with you on identifying with other hispanics. I do that too, although I have to admit in most of my classes there is either a good proportion of hispanics, or none at all, if that makes sense.
I'm usually not uncomfortable if I am the only hispanic in my classes. Although, when I went to Maine last year, man that was a trip alright. I think I saw like 2 other brown people the whole two weeks I was there. There is hardly any raza up there. And yes, we did acknowledge each other!
7:55 AM
i walked into a geography class looked around the room and spotted this black kid i knew from the radio station (we both worked at it). I sat down next to him and said "Thank God, I am not the only one", he looked at me and said "Only one what?". I figured he knew I was looking for another POC.
By the way blacks on Ohio State Campus who aren't trying to asimilate to mainstream white culture always acknowledge black custodial staff with at least a smile...asimilaters avoid eye contact with them at all cost.
9:35 PM
Firme bloga!
I live in Oclan (Oakland Baby!), and based on my observations, it is common for black folks to acknowledge each other. My wife is black also, and she is always acknowledged and vice versa by other black folk. I'm an LA Chicano and when we are walking together in the streets its a different story.
Anyway, in terms of Raza acknowledging eachother, I don't always see it. Growing up in LA, alot of Raza did not acknowledge eachother. In fact, in the Central LA neighborhood I grew up in, most people do not make eye contact in fear of some pendejo cholo thinking you are trying to mad dog them. Up in the bay its a little different because the Bay Area is only 2o% Latino.
I think African-Americans acknowledge each other more consistently because when you are black, you really do feel that Amerikkka doesn't give a shit about you. Even though I am brown, I never have experienced racism and fear the way I do when I walk into a store in some rural or more white area in California with my African-American wife. Even though our people have gone through some shit, it is not as intense as the black experience and so we therefore do not feel we must stick together as much. This is just my take on it.
And Seattle sounds alot like the bay (however, I have been to Seattle and there are alot less minorities and alot more whites than the bay) in terms of being known to be "liberal" but too many are oblivious to race in Amerikkka.
Study hard in law school--I did not make it out of my first year but I am working on making it back.
Smokey
10:31 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home