RT @Caudlewag@twitter.com
OKAY before Black History Month is over
PoC friends:
What's the most awkward anyone's ever stumbled when learning your identity first time?
I've gotten several
'You don't seem black'
and a few 'No one would ever suspect'.
Along with a 'Good thing you have a white voice.'
🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/Caudlewag/status/1496494671723384845
I remember talking to a friend on the phone about accents, and he offered to teach me how to “talk like a Black man”. I showed him a picture of my RL self after that convo, and he was abashed.
He wasn’t from the US, so I’m not sure he was aware of the effect that would have. 1/
I’ve also heard:
“You’re one of the good ones.”
“I don’t think of you as Black.”
I’ve been called a “niglet” “affectionately”.
The worst, I think, is being approached by several friends and acquaintances asking me “you’re my one Black friend” questions after George Floyd. 2/
It’s really tough to tell someone you hoped would help you process your trauma why your trauma is “justified” while it’s still fresh.
The past 5 years has been an…adjustment. I realize that a lot of folks understand racism in our society much less than I thought they did.