What happened to Post Racial America?? Was it all an illusion??? These are hard days to be Black in America... My Grandmother...If she was alive would ask me when has it not been hard days to be Black in America?
Yesterday, I talked to you about the drunken white man who slapped the adopted African-American baby of ironically a white woman on a plane...Now I'm writing about what happened to Actor Forest Whitaker in New York City this weekend....
Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker was left fuming on Friday after he was wrongly accused of shoplifting from a New York City delicatessen. Of course this type of thing has happened to me all of my life...If I was somewhere where it didn't look like I was supposed to be, I was often stopped, thrown up against a wall and frisked...then asked what my business in this particular place was and then told to go on about my business..
Most Black males (and some females) know that this is the nature of the beast in America...Just something that is bound to happen to you sooner or later..Last time it happened to me..I was about 35 years old, had just bought a house...and was wearing a suit...I was in one of the towns on what they call the "Mainline" in the suburbs of Philadelphia, waiting for a meeting with my realtor....Of course...I was someplace that I didn't look as if I belonged...So...the police put me through the paces... They were very polite ,I must say...
I don't expect this type of thing to happen to an Oscar Award winning actor though....His represenative said
"This was an upsetting incident given the fact that Forest did nothing more than walk into the deli. What is most unfortunate about this situation is the inappropriate way store employees are treating patrons of their establishment."
"Frisking individuals without proof/evidence is a violation of rights. Forest did not call the authorities at the request of the worker who was in fear of losing his employment. Forest asked that, in the future, the store change their behavior and treat the public in a fair and just manner." he continued.
Representatives of the market have yet to comment on the incident. I'm sure that they didn't know who he was when the incident occurred...They thought it was me.
4 comments:
Look how groups in congress treat the President and how some groups in our society(USA)make negative remarks and try to deny them or make false apologies and move on like they got a free pass for doing it!
Being Black in America is tough,and sometimes we take much higher road to ignore things than others,I wish at times to lower my spiritual standards and put a lot of dumb s#*T I hear and see on blast,but GOD got my back and his will makes the playing field even in the end.....
Keith, Nana also said, "Keep on living, you'll learn." The heart of man is dark. Only the light of the Lord brightens the path. I'm glad Forrest has the light of the peace within him and didn't respond in a way that might have cost a job, but allowed a lesson to be taught. I'm sure New Yorkers know the market and will make their opinions clear.
And P.S. Anonymous, God recognizes profanity, a curse against Him, even when you substitute symbols for letters. So if you're concerned about God making a level playing field for you, remember you have be His and on His land!
Ms. Arlene, please excuse me for this comment,but you are taking my comment made about the same thing we agree on out of context,I curse what I hear and see being done to my race, not at the lord,we all are children of GOD and we all live on his creation....PEACE!
Just another episode in what it means to be an African-American...
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