One day I was in a clothing store browsing around to find me something to wear. So I was just walking from place to place in the store just looking around. So I noticed that this employee was following me around in the store. So I would move around intentionally to see if she was following me and everywhere I would move she would follow. I had found a shirt that I liked and really wanted it, but after the employee kept following me I put it down, and left the store. I went to another store and bought what I needed.
That lady was following me around as if I was about to walk out with that whole store stuffed under my shirt.I know that she was watching me to see if I were going to steal something, but rest assured I do not steal and if I do not have the money to pay for it then it will stay in their store. I have seen it many of times where there are workers in a store that will follow a black person around in the store and not follow anyone else. I guess that is because they think that black people will steal, but there are people from every race that steals so one group of people can't be singled out as thieves.
I have to be honest when that happened to me it upset me because I do not steal and I was being followed as if my picture and name had been left at the store by the cops identifying me as a thief. I am not sure that they employee would be able to change because she felt that she was doing her job.Maybe that store had had an increase in missing products and the employees were ordered to follow the shoppers, who knows. I only know that I do not like being followed around in a store on the assumption that I might be a thief.
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteAs an African American I know exactly how you feel. My 13 year old son and myself went to a local corner store to buy water and some snacks. I told my son to get what he wanted but similar to you, I noticed a man following my son aisle after aisle as if he was going to steal...and like you we don't steal or we will do without. I told the man he needs to pay attention to his door and stop following my son around and I made my son put his items back and similar to you I bought the items from anther store; I spent more money but it was worth it!!!!
I see this is a universal concern of African Americans.
Nicky
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI am also a person of different race and culture, I did not grow up here and I do not have any idea how it is growing up belonging to a minority group. What I experienced is the diversity in culture and how America welcome and embrace people of different race, color, ethnicity and religion and their continued way of catering to their needs.
Reading your post makes me wonder and opened my eyes to the reality that prejudice, bias and oppressions still happens in other parts of America. I just hope that the next generation will continue to work together towards accepting diversity and equity.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI have had that to happen to me before and just like you did, I went else where to purchase the items that I needed. This incident is something that is happening all to often in many stores and I think that something should be done about the way that employees target blacks. This is a form of stereotyping. I for one do not steal and neither does any of my friends. If I don't have the money to purchase I will either leave in the store or put it on layaway. I told myself that the next time something like this happens to me, I am going to write to the stores headquarters to make them aware of what is going on in their stores.
Hi Melanie, I see this type of discrmination and stereotype all the time, being a African American myself. I do not understand why just because someone else of the same race does something that everyone in that same race have to be a target of such ignorance. I hope that one day that we can be viewed as individuals at some point of time in life. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteMelanie,
ReplyDeleteRacial profiling is a serious and disturbing issue. I believe that it stems from a ignorance and lack of knowledge. I can only imagine how that incident made you feel. I have never been a victim of racial profiling but it makes me feel disrespected. One's skin color, native language, or any physical trait does not determine their worth.