How can YOU be judged/discriminated against?

[Loverly]

I was the first and only black child in my elementary school to skip a grade. The school was boycotted. We were called names like you wouldn't believe trying to enter the school. My mother had to come up to the school numerous times to protect me.... from the other kids... their parents... AND THE TEACHERS.

I survived it.

We were the first black family to move into a brand new apartment complex in Brooklyn. Every day we leave our apartment there was either dog feces or marker on the walls with very lovely words...

I survived THAT.

I really have a hard time believing these statements.

How would anyone even know that you skipped a grade-and why would people be in an uproar over it? I was in an all white school in the South in the 70's and we had one black girl in it. She was beyond popular-everyone went over backwards to make her feel loved and accepted, She was a celebrity!


As far as the brand new apartment-please.
Where is the management?

I find your statements to be extremely anti-caucasian.

 

[momof3littlelilos]

I really have a hard time believing these statements.

How would anyone even know that you skipped a grade-and why would people be in an uproar over it? I was in an all white school in the South in the 70's and we had one black girl in it. She was beyond popular-everyone went over backwards to make her feel loved and accepted, She was a celebrity!


As far as the brand new apartment-please.
Where is the management?

I find your statements to be extremely anti-caucasian.

Back Snark alert...
No, they're not unbelievable claims...busing was ugly. I remember being embarrassed to be white because of all the whites who daily threw rocks at buses of black kids...The desegregation of the projects in Boston was nasty too, people were harrassed and assaulted daily. Even Mike Barnicle, a relatively knee jerk Boston conservative columnist, wrote about the unbelievable racism expressed by tenants of historically white public housing in the city.
I find your revisionist version of life for the lone black girl in your southern school to be unbelievable, does that make you a racist?
Stating her experience of being on the recieving end makes her "anti-caucasian"
I bet you don't believe in the Holocaust either. All those anti-goyim, anti-Germans at the musems must really get your goat.

 

[Robinrs]

I really have a hard time believing these statements.

How would anyone even know that you skipped a grade-and why would people be in an uproar over it? I was in an all white school in the South in the 70's and we had one black girl in it. She was beyond popular-everyone went over backwards to make her feel loved and accepted, She was a celebrity!


As far as the brand new apartment-please.
Where is the management?

I find your statements to be extremely anti-caucasian.

It was in 1963 when I was skipped. The entire 2nd grade was given an aptitude test. Me and two other girls had the highest scores. I remember everyone making a big deal over it and my parents having to come up to the school. The next thing I knew they told me I was going to the third grade based on that test.

The other parents made a big deal about the test results. I remember one meeting someone said that I was being pushed thru instead of their children and it was "unfair". The admin skipped me anyway. There was a big protest about this in front of the school with a picket line. I remember wondering why were so many people so angry. My Mom made me go thru the line anyway and we had to endure some horrible words. Remember, I was only 7 and this was alll new to me. The madness seemed to calm down after time, or at least I was shielded from it. My biggest dilemma as trying to prove I was REALLY smart enough to deserve this promotion. I survived it.

It was also in 11/23/63 when we moved into Ebbets Field Apts when all this happened. It was the day after John Kennedy died and I was so upset because the President was dead. Moving to the nice new apartments was a good way to get this off of my mind. The apartments were the FIRST apartments we had ever lived in. We moved from the projects in Brownsville. This place was in Crown Heights, we were MOVING on up.

Everyday we were harrassed. Everyday we were told that we didn't belong there. Everyday the moving vans were moving people out because they wouldn't put US out. My Dad had to go to the management daily and they did nothing. One day he went to a tenants meeting and had to stand and tell them to leave us alone.

Times were different then, I thank God they have changed. It doesn't matter if it's pro or con, the OP asked about discrimination. I read lots of posts that claimed how they were discriminated against and I relived these moments. They were not anti anything. They were my life.

 

[Robinrs]

Back Snark alert...
No, they're not unbelievable claims...busing was ugly. I remember being embarrassed to be white because of all the whites who daily threw rocks at buses of black kids...The desegregation of the projects in Boston was nasty too, people were harrassed and assaulted daily. Even Mike Barnicle, a relatively knee jerk Boston conservative columnist, wrote about the unbelievable racism expressed by tenants of historically white public housing in the city.
I find your revisionist version of life for the lone black girl in your southern school to be unbelievable, does that make you a racist?
Stating her experience of being on the recieving end makes her "anti-caucasian"
I bet you don't believe in the Holocaust either. All those anti-goyim, anti-Germans at the musems must really get your goat.

Only this was in Brooklyn, NEW YORK, not in the South. This was the North in the 1960s. Sad but true.

I don't mind if she doesn't believe it. Many people cannot fathom things like this happened. Why? Because it is soooo ugly. What we should concentrate on NOT letting it happen again.

 

[agentpleakley]

Okay, this list is unreal in some of the similarities to me.

Oh my gosh -- this is uncanny. Do you know that for years people have come up to me and ask me do you live here , is your name this, etc. etc. --- may be you are my twin?

 

[Maleficent13]

I bet you don't believe in the Holocaust either. All those anti-goyim, anti-Germans at the musems must really get your goat.

So because she doesn't believe one person on a message board of thousands, suddenly she's anti-Jewish Holocaust denier. There are no words.

There was a thread recently asking if you (universal) believed everything posted on a message board and the majority said no, they did not. Are they all Holocaust deniers as well?

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Only this was in Brooklyn, NEW YORK, not in the South. This was the North in the 1960s. Sad but true.

I don't mind if she doesn't believe it. Many people cannot fathom things like this happened. Why? Because it is soooo ugly. What we should concentrate on NOT letting it happen again.

Sorry Robin you had to experience those moments.

I remember when we would take the J train to Delancy Street or switch to another train on Marcy Ave, the blacks would tell us to get out of their neighborhood.
My brother's friend was stabbed. I had food thrown at me while waiting for a train.

I hope it's better for everyone now.

 

[Mean Queen]

2. I am also dark (dark hair and eyes) and have a wide nose. I am half Italian with German and British roots as well. I can not even tell you how many people here have actually argued with me that I must be Native American or Latina. I am neither.

I encounter this a lot too. Though I am part Native American, because I live in Florida, I often have people start speaking Spanish to me thinking I am Cuban. I've also been called Italian, Greek, Arab, pretty much any dark haired, darker skinned nationality. I even had a boyfriend break up with me in high school because he said I must be half-black after I got very tan on vacation. When people ask what I am, if I want to be nice I explain my heritage, if I want to be sarcastic, I answer human, if I want to mess with them I say Irish. That's true, but my family is what's called "black Irish." We're all dark hair, dark eyes, darker skin.

One instance of true discrimination I encountered was when I was pregnant. My boss at the time forced 3 out of 4 of the pregnant women out by making their jobs unbearable. I held on until after the pregnancy, when I was told by my boss they weren't renewing my contract because "news was no longer my first priority." I tried to sue, but the EOC couldn't get enough evidence. One of the other women went on to become an attorney to fight discrimination.

This has been such an enlightening thread. There are all types of discrimination out there, then there's daily judgments we all make. Maybe this will make us all think twice.

 

[momof3littlelilos]

So because she doesn't believe one person on a message board of thousands, suddenly she's anti-Jewish Holocaust denier. There are no words.

There was a thread recently asking if you (universal) believed everything posted on a message board and the majority said no, they did not. Are they all Holocaust deniers as well?

There are no words for rudely invalidating someones experience. There are no words for her basically calling another poster a liar and then rewriting the civil rights movement. Geez, even Norman Rockwell's version of America supports that what happened to the poster in Brooklyn's schools was closer to the truth than Loverly's version of the past.
I was comparing 2 similiar yet seperate events (simile, metaphor?), I was attempting to make a point, sorry if it missed the mark and offended you.

 

[Robinrs]

Sorry Robin you had to experience those moments.

I remember when we would take the J train to Delancy Street or switch to another train on Marcy Ave, the blacks would tell us to get out of their neighborhood.
My brother's friend was stabbed. I had food throm on me while waiting for a train.

I hope it's better for everyone now.

That is horrible. Ignorance and hatred is horrendous no matter who does it. I'm sorry you experienced that, also...

 

[Jack-Jack]

Back Snark alert...
No, they're not unbelievable claims...busing was ugly. I remember being embarrassed to be white because of all the whites who daily threw rocks at buses of black kids...The desegregation of the projects in Boston was nasty too, people were harrassed and assaulted daily. Even Mike Barnicle, a relatively knee jerk Boston conservative columnist, wrote about the unbelievable racism expressed by tenants of historically white public housing in the city.
I find your revisionist version of life for the lone black girl in your southern school to be unbelievable, does that make you a racist?
Stating her experience of being on the recieving end makes her "anti-caucasian"
I bet you don't believe in the Holocaust either. All those anti-goyim, anti-Germans at the musems must really get your goat.

There are no words for rudely invalidating someones experience. There are no words for her basically calling another poster a liar and then rewriting the civil rights movement. Geez, even Norman Rockwell's version of America supports that what happened to the poster in Brooklyn's schools was closer to the truth than Loverly's version of the past.
I was comparing 2 similiar yet seperate events (simile, metaphor?), I was attempting to make a point, sorry if it missed the mark and offended you.

You are invalidating the claims of loverly by disbelieving her account of a southern school. How are you any different? You weren't there.

 

[momof3littlelilos]

You are invalidating the claims of loverly by disbelieving her account of a southern school. How are you any different? You weren't there.

Nope, I wasn't there. I will give you that.
Give me a while to try to wrap my brain around the rest of it.
For some of us, coming to terms with reverse racism and revisionism is at best an exercise in surrealism. From my POV that's what makes it different.
But in time, I'll give it further thought.
ETA: the history of busing and integration in the northeast tends to support Robinrs.
The history of the southern US including but not limited to the Antebellum and Reconstruction periods, through Emitt Till in the 50's, the murders of SNCC members in the late 60's, just contradicts the experience of Loverly. But, I suppose it's possible that the region that supports the Southern Poverty Law Center could have a supportive school system within it.

 

[poptartlette]

I don't mind if she doesn't believe it.

This is true RobinRS, only you know what actually happened in your life. You know the truth.

I'm Eurasian, not a bad thing. Alas, in the 60's (Mao & Nam) it was not a very positive race to many.
I've worked within the adult entertainment industry most of my adult life. This feild has become more acceptable within the past ten years.
My comeuppance is that I am a unique individual that has profited well in her lifetime from a blossoming industry.

 

[lillielil]

It seems like we've moved on to discussion, but here's my list anyway. I've tried to organize them by how much they have effected me, from most to least. I'm sure there are others, but I've limited it to things that I feel have actually had an impact thus far.

I'm female.
I'm married to a woman, which isn't legal in these parts.
I'm a lesbian.
I'm an atheist.
I'm overweight.
I'm from the Deep South.
I don't have a regional accent.
I'm a Democrat.
I have visible tattoos and piercings.
I'm a vegetarian.
I'm culturally Jewish.
I went to a women's college.
I majored in Geology.
I wear glasses all the time.
I'm a Unitarian.

 

[RealMickeysGirl]

Times were different then, I thank God they have changed. It doesn't matter if it's pro or con, the OP asked about discrimination. I read lots of posts that claimed how they were discriminated against and I relived these moments. They were not anti anything. They were my life.

Amen - I am glad times have changed to. I am only slightly younger than you are - I started first grade in 1965. I was in a predominantly white school - each classroom of about 25 kids had maybe 4 or 5 black kids in them.

In the summer before the third grade (This was in Jackson, MS), they rearranged the schools and my school became predominantly black - partly because of white flight (many people put their kids in private schools but my parent's didn't want to do that, they believed in public education). Like I said before, I learned a lot about people in that year. I think my experiences that year are a driving factor in my feelings about discrimination - I don't like to see anyone discriminated against, belittled, or made to feel inferrior (be it for color, size, handicap, nationality, whatever).

I don't know you but from your posts on this thread you seem to be a very strong woman and you had a wonderful mother to help you through those trying times. I am glad that you didn't let the situations you found yourself in bring you down. You can be proud of that!

It's funny in a way (not haha funny but ironic funny) but I never thought that public school things like you experienced happened in the north. It wasn't until I was in college that I learned that there were racial tensions all over the country in the 60's. Until then I thought that race didn't matter to the people that didn't live in the south. Of course, at college, I met people from all over who told me of their experiences and I learned differently.

I just looked up the racial mixture of the county I live in (Montgomery county, Alabama) on wikipedia and this is what it gives as the racial make up of the county and city:

The racial makeup of the county was 48.85% White, 48.58% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 1.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The racial makeup of the city was 49.63% Black, 47.67% White, 0.25% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

My neighborhood is mixed and I really like my neighbors. Yes, there are areas of the city that are more one race than another and I have known people who moved from my neighborhood because they didn't like the way our neighborhood was changing. But I am happy here. People are friendly, children play outside, people speak to their neighbors, people walk and jog in the neighborhood, it is a really good neighborhood.

 

[Robinrs]

I really have a hard time believing these statements.

How would anyone even know that you skipped a grade-and why would people be in an uproar over it? I was in an all white school in the South in the 70's and we had one black girl in it. She was beyond popular-everyone went over backwards to make her feel loved and accepted, She was a celebrity!


As far as the brand new apartment-please.
Where is the management?

I find your statements to be extremely anti-caucasian.

btw, if I told you that your experience was a lie... how you you feel?

I find your experience wonderful, and glad to hear it. I'm sure it happens more often than not. I don't consider it Pro Or Con race, I consider it Pro human, which should be the norm.

My experience was not the norm or at least I hope not. What I posted was a TINY part of the experience, believe me I could write a book on what actually happened.

My son brought home the book about Ruby Bridges story http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Bridges and I was amazed at how similar my story was. And you know what? I didn't tell him about my situation because like when my Dad would tell me about segregation, I didn't like the idea that that happened to him in HIS lifetime. I wanted my son to believe that this NEVER happened, at least not in my lifetime.

 

[Robinrs]

I don't know you but from your posts on this thread you seem to be a very strong woman and you had a wonderful mother to help you through those trying times. I am glad that you didn't let the situations you found yourself in bring you down. You can be proud of that!

Thank you so much. We can only learn from our experiences.... and not let them make you bitter, but BETTER. Read my signature, it's from a gospel song that tells how I've made it. We all survive SOMETHING, it's how we use it that makes the difference.

 

[JoyG]

My family's been discriminated against when it comes to housing b/c we're black.

I got my first apt in a very segregated part of town. I didn't know it at the time b/c I was new to this city. The lady that lived downstairs told the landlord if he rented to us she'd move out, and she did.

People would ride by and yell out "you're in the wrong neighborhood" if they saw dh on the porch.

We stayed there for 3 years and then when we wanted to move into a nicer place in a better neighborhood we experienced a little more discrimination. I made an appt. to see a place over the phone. The lady was really nice and excited to have us come see it. When we got there her demeanor changed. Suddenly, the apt. wasn't available and she made a comment about how she had to "be really careful who she rents to."

That's the only time I'm aware we've been actively discriminated against.

I would say I'm judged on the following:
1. I'm a fundamental christian
2. I live in the city instead of the burbs.
3. I usually vote conservative (you wouldn't believe the flack I get for that one!)
4. How we spend our money (we take vacations instead of buying a second car).

 

[ORMom2Four]

I was born and raised in Arizona. We didn't move to Oregon until '99.

In 1997 in Arizona, my two oldest children were riding their bikes when they were spit on and called, "Gringos!" by the hispanic children in our neighborhood. They were only 3 & 5 years old at the time, and the other children were only a few years older than them.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Okay, this list is unreal in some of the similarities to me.

Oh my gosh -- this is uncanny. Do you know that for years people have come up to me and ask me do you live here , is your name this, etc. etc. --- may be you are my twin?

Hey, it's possible! I am constantly being told I look like someone else. Oh, and I saw in another one of your posts that you moved here in 1992. Bet you'll never guess when we moved here.