Racism still alive

When I heard about the video of the racist chant sung by the fraternity brothers of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, at the University of Oklahoma, I was disgusted.

I couldn’t believe that people would chant something so negative and offensive and find it funny. Being a child of multiple races, predominantly black and white, it hit home. It reminded me of the times that I was faced with racism.

I’ve gotten the stares from people before. I’ve received them when I was alone with my white mother and my white grandmother. The confused looks I could kind of understand because there are certain expectations of what seems logical.

Still, in a world that is constantly evolving, it’s sad to see that something as simple as the color of someone’s skin automatically makes them an object of someone’s hatred.

The disapproving looks filled with hatred were the worst.

I was about 6 when I saw my first pair of dark eyes glaring at me. My mother and I were walking through the mall and the man immediately halted in our path. He looked us both up and down and as I cowered behind my mother I could see the disgust in his face. I could feel the animosity he had towards us for being together, a mother and child. My mother kept me behind her as we rushed away. This whole event took nothing more than a couple seconds, but it felt so much longer.

When we got home, my mom explained to me that some people still frown upon interracial children. I remember being confused by that because I felt being a child of multiple races made me unique, not possibly a target for someone’s distaste.

Sadly, though, I was. When I was at the zoo with my grandmother, I received the looks again. I got some of the confused ones, to determine whether she was my mother or indeed my grandmother. Then the disapproving look came into my view and a feeling of sadness entered my being. It wasn’t because they were successful in making me feel bad for who I am; it was for them. It was for the fact that some people still can’t see past color. As I walked past the person I smiled at them as their eyes watched me walk away.

There was one time when it went beyond eye contact and became verbal. I was about 12 when I was with my grandmother at the mall. We had stopped in the food court to get a bite to eat and when we sat down, we were next to a family where the father and the mother kept staring. I felt very awkward and just tried to ignore their unwavering, watchful eyes.

I heard as he whispered to his wife how it was so unnatural for a black girl to be with a white woman and how we should not be together. I was in a state of shock.

I didn’t want to believe what I just heard, but I had to. It happened, but I wasn’t going to let that decide my view of all the people in the world.

It’s only a select few, but I know people are capable of change because in my family I’ve witnessed it happen. My cousin’s grandfather actually used to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

He changed suddenly after his son had a child with a multiracial woman. Now he loves that little girl more than anything, even building on a room for her for when she stayed at his house.

I remember when I first went to his house I was a bit nervous, but he was the most hospitable person. He would check in on me and see if I needed anything and if I did to just ask.

My experiences don’t make me believe that everyone is prejudiced because in my life I have met amazing people who don’t see color, but character. It may have been a joke to the members of SAE, but intolerance is not a joke. I have hope that they will change their mindset and think about what they say before they say it.