by Renee Morgan

Created on: June 02, 2008   Last Updated: January 18, 2009

Growing up in the 60's and 70's and traveling back and forward between Ohio and Mississippi, I would have thought that I seen a lot of racism. I did not notice racism until I was 16 years old and living on my own.

To start my father is a white looking man, and my mother was as dark as the night. Together they had four children whose skin color varied from white to deep chocolate. My dad was a long haul trucker for Road Way Trucking. After a long haul when he made it home, it never surprised us who would come through that door with him. My parents were very social and known in varies circles. All of these different people would visit our home on numeral occasions. If the person who walked into our home was purple, well that is fine just wash your hands, sit down, and eat.

Well at 16 years old, I thought I had, had enough and left my fathers house. Now I would learn of an entirely different world. Then I knew that the bulling a received in school was really racism within a race. Then there was the racism from other races. With black employers, I learned very fast that that my skin color would determine where I would work. An example was I worked small diner. Because of my skin color, I always had to server. This was because owner who was of the black race also, felt that the white people who ate there would rather look at an almost white woman than an ugly dark black woman. Moreover, at this establishment it held true because I would get more tips than a server who was slightly darker than I was. This was good for the boss because half of our tips went to him. Because of my bosses' racism, this kept conflict between the darker women and me.

In larger places of business and notice the jobs placements given to white over blacks. My sister is very dark and has the business sense of most Fortune 500 executives. When a position for and executive secretary became open, she applied. I had talked a time or two with one of the big wigs, so I decided I might be able to give her a little help. After a long conversation, I was pleased to know that he would see what he could do. He felt with her resume and work history, she would be good for the job. A few days later I over heard one of the other big wigs, saying that a spook will never run the front office while he is there. Never the less sister and I were out of a job when I finished telling him a good piece of my mind.

For the era of which I came up in, awareness of racism came late for me. Reality kicked me hard and steady after I left home, and those kick really did hurt.

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