1 | Username: withatrident
If I had to pick one story that stands out it would have to be walking home in high school (in Clovis, CA at the time because mom was a recruiter stationed in Fresno) after dark. It was about 10PM and I wasn't doing anything illegal as I was just walking home from a neighbor's house. An officer pulled over out of nowhere, cutting me off, and hopped out of his car like I was some thug. He proceeded to make me take a drunk test then handcuffed me and placed me in the back of his cruiser. He drove to the address I provided and walked me to the door in cuffs. When my dad opened the door the officer was a bit taken back to see a white man. My dad said, "What are you doing with my son and why is he cuffed?" The officer replied, "He's out late loitering and I wanted to make sure he got home instead of in trouble." My dad asked the officer to quickly walk with him to the end of the street where the local high school's basketball courts were visible. On the basketball courts at that exact moment there were a group of roughly 15 white kids, some playing basketball and others talking in a group. My dad said to the cop, "What about the white kids that are out playing basketball at 11pm some nights at the school? Why don't you cuff them and take them home?" The officer just uncuffed me and walked away. It was the first time I felt like I was different for being black as I had spent my entire childhood on military bases. My father summed it up by saying, "Welcome to the real world."
2 | Username: brokenpheonix
I have no idea if you'll read this but I thought I'd try. I'm also biracial black/white. I was the only 'black' kid in town and I was only half. Grew up in the whitest of white towns. They told me regularly as I grew up that I'd have a kid by 15 and be on meth by 16. That I'd never go to college and might as well leave. I was chased by a guy with a golf club, told that the town had never changed the laws regarding black being out after 10 so I should be hung, called Zebra more often than not, etc. I had to participate in Black History Month by being a slave and having to follow the orders of the white students-- I had to call them 'Master'. Totally fucked up. The one savings grace I have is I've never been pulled over. The town was so afraid that I would sue for racism that they just made my life hell and never pulled me over. I always had my belt on and never sped anywhere.
Anyways, my point is when I graduated High School they made a big deal out of having a 'Black Student Graduate'. They put it in the paper for ----'s sake! I went to college, studied abroad, and graduated with honors and 3 degrees. My town is convinced I cheated on my boyfriend, I have 4 children, and I am addicted to drugs because they keep hearing I'm at 'Company Name' which is a rehab... I work here!
3 | Username: veronyca73
My family was living in Chesapeake, virginia in a majority white neighborhood called Camelot. I was around seven and my older sister was eight. It was a summer evening and we were walking down the main street of the block to get some slurpees from the 7-11 on the corner.
On the way back, we saw these two white teens walking their huge german shepherds coming in the opposite direction. When they saw us, they let the dogs loose and they came charging at us. we dropped the slurpees and scrambled up onto the hood..and eventually the roof...of a car parked on the side of the road.
The dogs just ran around the car and barked. My older sister asked if the dogs bite because we needed to get home.
One of the teens said "they don't bite niggers, they kill niggers.".
they held us hostage on the car for a good ten minutes , laughing the entire time. I guess they eventually got bored because they put the dogs back on the leashes and walked off but not before telling us if they see us outside after the sun goes down again they will have their dogs rip our nigger throats out.
We told our mom when we got home. We were not allowed to go the the 7-11 again without an adult with us. I spent most of that summer in the house.
4 | Username: Oreo_siesta
I am the youngest of nine adopted children. My parents are white. My adoptive mother would always tell people that" black kids come at a dime a dozen". She adopted us for the subsidy.
5 | Username: Telemarketeer
Back in elementary, my teacher set up a reenactment of an 1800's lynching for my birthday and assigned me the role of the black person getting lynched. Since it was a birthday, she thought it'd be funny to double me as a pinata (i was covered in blankets) and let the kids hit me with plastic bats as I hung from my harness at the tetherball court.
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