by Victoria James

Created on: February 25, 2007   Last Updated: May 21, 2007

The main reason that I feel racism still exists is simple: ignorance. It does not matter the color of a persons skin but rather what they choose to contribute to society and the people around them. I have no ill feelings towards a single person in this world until they have done something to me, I look every one in the eye when I talk to them and treat them with respect when I converse with them, call my elders mam and sir, and I live in a southern state where it is said we are all "rednecks". I do these things with a blind eye to color or social status why? Because I was raised to. I feel that all too often in this country we lump people together because of the color they are or the place that they are from when in all reality people are the way they are primarily because of the morals they were raised with or the stadards they choose to hold themselves to. There are many fine people of different races that have contributed to not only our economy but as well as our way of life. One of my favorite quotes about racism towards the black race is spoken by Cedric the Entainer in the movie "Be Cool". Anyone that has seen the movie knows what I am referring to. I feel that racism is a two way street, I am a white female and have been verbally attacked and threatened by a black female because she didn't feel I should be allowed to wear a FUBU shirt, and what was I doing when this happened? Sitting in a restaurant eating dinner with my family for my sister's birthday. When I worked at a gas station part time before I started my career, I was approached by a black male in his mid 20s with a group of his friends. I was ringing up their purchases when he popped off with "Damn girl, you are thick, turn around and let me see if the back matches the front." My response was to say," I dont know where or how you were raised that you think that is an acceptable way to speak to a woman but where I come from that is disrepectful and uncalled for." His response was to call me a,"N____r hating white b___h." (Im sure everyone can fill in the blanks on that one) grabbed his stuff and left. I don't understand that to this day and I probably never will. The point is, every one is going to have bad experiences with people in their day to day life. These experiences are not because of a persons skin color but because of the type of person they choose to be. If I were to blame all back people for my bad experiences with only two of a very large population, then that would make me just as ignorant as the two I have made examples of wouldn't it? For I have been treated very respectfully by black men that found me attractive and have been complimented by a black female on a top that I chose to wear, if I had chosen the ignorant path, I wouldve missed out on these experiences. In bad instances like these, if a person is not careful, they may find they have come down with ignorance themselves instead of resisting it and helping become part of the cure.

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