Q52: Is it harder in life to be a woman or black?

28 3 0
                                        

by: Rhasheed Vickers

I can tell you from a black American man's perspective a few things. You can decide from there.

1)

At age 14 and up, there's been multiple times where I was aggressively approached by police officers. I was almost shot in my own room brushing my teeth because a cop thought I was breaking in.

 I was almost shot in my own room brushing my teeth because a cop thought I was breaking in

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

2)

In NYC white and asian people kept literally crossing the street every time me and my college buddy walked near them. We were just going to the art museum and people walking ahead of us kept looking back at us and stopping, waiting til we passed.

 We were just going to the art museum and people walking ahead of us kept looking back at us and stopping, waiting til we passed

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

3)

Growing up, Black gangs left Hispanics alone mostly. But when it came to us, our own people would automatically assume we were in a gang and "G-Check" us. "Where you from?" "What that blue be about?" "What's crackin cuh?" "Aye, take that hat off bruh." All because I was a fellow black person.

" All because I was a fellow black person

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

4)

Sometimes you feel like going for a walk or waving "Hi" to people when you're in another neighborhood. I had times where people would ignore me and do that NYC street crossing thing just from me saying "Good afternoon." Even my own people who live in "white areas" give me a stank look like "Why are you talking to me." It even happens to me and my people at work. They go to my white coworkers but when we say "Hi" or "Good afternoon" they do this snooty ignoring thing.

 They go to my white coworkers but when we say "Hi" or "Good afternoon" they do this snooty ignoring thing

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

5)

I have had many women and female friends who tell me to be more white in certain places. For example I needed to get into a museum. I was a little short so the sister at the counter offered to let me in but her offer was, "Take that pick out of your hair!" She was ashamed of the the afro pick. Funny part is, white people I ran into who saw it actually loved it. So did the older black folk and even some of the young ones. But she was ashamed. She is one of many who made me stop looking and speaking a certain way in certain places. Ironically they wear weaves. They also refer to straight hair as "good hair" Self-hate at it's finest!

 They also refer to straight hair as "good hair" Self-hate at it's finest!

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

So in short;

1. Cops hate you

2. People hate you

3. Your own people hate you

4. You're not allowed to be yourself

5. People see you as subhuman

Quora/Reddit  ForumsWhere stories live. Discover now