The atmosphere of the USA

Dear Delysia,

Today I had a great conversation with my co-workers about the atmosphere of the country at this time. From 1625 – 1865, slavery was in full force for 265 years. Then from 1865 – 1964, segregation was fully active for 99 years. Then from 1964- 2017, we as the minority that wasn’t a white male, have been free. That has only been for 50 years of freedom.

Listening to the lives of my co-workers who are in their early 30’s to late 50’s remember very vivid experiences about racist behavior. I work with a man in his 40’s who is from Africa. He explained some very ignorant and very hurtful situations where people didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt because he’s black. I work with another woman who is from Fiji, with a dark complexion. She spoke about how she got hit by a car behind her and pushed her into on-coming traffic. The people that hit her, were white students going to the university. She called the college kids insurance and they said they were not going to pay for the damage because of the police report. She found out that the police had written a report that stated that she was the cause of the accident. So she called and spoke with the police officers supervisor and threatened legal action against them. The police officer than called back and apologized for his incorrect police report of the accident. Another woman, grew up near the beach in California. She remember having one young man in her school, who was black. She remembers that no one would really speak to him or the treated him poorly. She remembers going to a school dance and being the only one who was willing to dance with him. She got a lot of grief for it, but she did it. During her time, the minorities lived inland. They didn’t live near the beach.

Listening to these stories scares me a bit. The way that the USA has been going as far as with equality rights and just human rights, is scaring me. I’m a minority, where there are tons of white people and very conservative. It sort of scares me that I’m a brown, male, that is a pineapple. It makes me feel very uncomfortable that I’m not close to my family really, I don’t have anyone really in my corner. It scares me a lot to be alone and with no one that I feel like I can rely on. I am not sure that I can rely on the church so much as on those pineapple friends that I’ve maintained.

… I’m a little bit disturbed. I am really uncomfortable with the future. I feel like my life is getting fewer and fewer options to be happy, or comfortable or the best part of my life is now and not later.