Jessica's Race: Part I

The other day I came out of the Metro and was a few steps away when I heard a man shout, “hey man I like your coat.” I turned to see that this 6’ 2” rotund black man was talking to this lily, preppy white guy who had also just ascended from the Metro with his wife (or life partner). The black guy shouted this at a close range of about 10 inches and the white guy managed to eek out “thanks” and a panic-stricken smile before the couple scuffled away to the safety of the crowd on Pennsylvania Ave.

The look on the white guy’s face said it all. Black people scare the shit out of white people. Is this deliberate? Is this only in DC? Is this across America? Why did I never notice it this much in New York? I dwelt on that last question longest. I know New York has produced this multicultural harmonious veneer that can be easily scratched, say if you poll by race which neighborhood one lives in or what school one’s kid goes to. But it seems to me like people in New York skirt in and out of each others' lives more fluidly. Is it because everyone’s loud? Breaking it down very crudely by race or culture, you’ve got Italians, pretty loud; Puerto Ricans, pretty loud too; Chinese, loud; Jews, loud; Irish, loud, especially on March 17th; etc. etc. New Yorkers are a bombastic people in general so shouting really doesn’t startle anyone of any color. Or could it be that there simply aren’t very many white people left in New York? It’s harder and harder to spot a non-brown person so maybe the battle’s over and there’s no need to keep the armor. Hope the Tea Party doesn’t find out.

Or is it because I just moved back from Uganda? I seem to be experiencing America in HD since I’ve been back, so maybe it makes sense that I’m more sensitive to race relations too. More on that later.

I know there are people who have dedicated their lives to this issue and I know it’s complicated. Mine are superficial observations, but I felt it was necessary to comment for one reason. I can feel it. I can literally feel the tension in this town. It’s not just negative tension I’m feeling either. I find myself observing all interactions between black and white strangers. I saw a black UPS guy and a white government-looking guy having a hearty, friendly exchange on the Super Bowl and followed their every word for evidence of…well what exactly? Why did I stop in my tracks and stare openly at two friendly strangers exchanging on America? Perhaps it’s because I live in Capitol Hill, where white is really white and black is really not white. Perhaps it’s because people here are generally more friendly than in New York and so this tension that I feel seems incongruous to the more common friendly exchanges I’m becoming accustomed too with strangers in DC.

Perhaps I feel that in this current day and age race is supposed to be solved. Yet so many people still have questions or do stupid things with it. I want to be free to write about it and hope the answers come closer.