A black woman, Ayeesha, and Roger, a white man, are working closely together on the promotion of a new product. While they are taking a dinner break during a long work day, Roger ventures to bring up the subject of race.  He asks Ayeesha how comfortable she feels working for the mostly white company.  He wonders if she’s noticed any racism on the part of other employees.  She hesitates and then replies, "Well, last Friday after staff meeting I heard Brian and Anita (who are both white) cracking up. Brian was imitating the (black) voice of Kingfisher from the old Amos ‘n’ Andy show. I found it incredibly offensive.

"Roger crunches his face in disbelief. “That wasn’t racism, Ayeesha!  Brian doesn’t have anything against black people.  He’s always clowning around.  I think you’re being too sensitive.  I hear women make fun of how men talk all the time.  I don’t like that either, but I just laugh it off. "

Commentary to African American Vignette #2

One pattern sometimes occurs when white folks and folks of color talk about race. The person of color brings up a racial incident that is disturbing to her or him. The white person asserts that the person of color is misperceiving and then brings up a situation where he himself was a victim, implying that the situations are of equal impact.

In this vignette, Ayeesha hesitates before answering Roger’s question.  It’s my understanding that many people of color are reluctant to talk about race with European Americans because they think it’s a minefield. (European Americans often feel the same way -- but that’s a different discussion.) Whites tend to take these discussions personally and then react defensively.  Roger had difficulty with the fact that Ayeesha was upset hearing the voice of Kingfisher, a stereotypical black buffoon created by white people, imitated by a white co-worker.  He immediately discounts her experience and goes on the offensive, cutting off the possibility of any further communication.

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