Walking While Wearing a Hoodie
Jennifer, April 22, 2017 Do I look like a certain stereotype? ___________ Today, I got an inkling of what it must be like being an African-American in the United States of America. It was cold and raw today, so I wore my hoodie and mittens. As I was checking my phone before finishing up my walk, I heard this angry voice behind me: “Hello? Hello? Can I help you with something?” At first, I ignored it – he couldn’t possibly be speaking to me. I didn’t know him, and he had no reason to speak to me like that. Again, he yelled, “I said, ‘Hello, can I help you with something?’” Confused, I turned around, and said, “No, I’m fine.” A young man – maybe mid-20’s – in shorts and a t-shirt, stopped short, obviously embarrassed. He slunk away. Why this happened didn’t hit me until I was about two blocks away; yes, this is what it’s like being white in America – on a visceral level, we just don’t get what African-Americans experience every day. It took m...