Personal Narrative: My Personal Experiences Of African Americans

It is not always easy for Caucasians to talk about race especially whether any of their when it comes to their own feelings about it been prejudicial own responses to those of other races are or have No one wants to believe oneself capable of racism or even having made prejudgments about people that are a product of one's fears or other negative emotions For example don't like admitting that I have not always been free of such Even thoughts about other people some of my own race and some of others in though I'm tall now and, because of my size, am almost never in situations which I'm afraid for my safety I used to be small and I used to be afraid of others especially bigger boys who would bully me. Though none were when African American that

fact has not prevented me from sometimes worrying encountering African Americans or those of other race on the rare occas when I'm out alone at night, particularly when I encounter groups of men The fear I used to feel as a child has caused me to worry about others who have done nothing to deserve that concern I'm always ashamed of myself when it does because none of these other people have given me any real reason to fear them. The key issue however, is whether such thoughts ever become actions. the power to hurt and harm as I have experienced myself because Actions have once I, too, caused others to fear me solely because of my appearance Brent first encountered, in his first year away Staples, an African American man from his Pennsylvania home the fact that his very presence made some white other things he became familiar with people especially women afraid among the sound of automatic car locks being employed whenever he crossed in front similarly when I was on foot. of cars at night. (395) One January, crossed in front of a car at an intersection close to Cameron University, and too, heard automatic door locks going down and knew that because of my a worn jacket and a stocking cap on my size and dress I was wearing jeans I had frightened the people in the car experiencing for the first and head only time in my life what I can only imagine that black men like Staples go through too many times in their lives I felt terrible particularly since there was nothing I could do about it Remembering that moment increases my shame whenever I have fearful thoughts about someone I don't know and have been given no tangible reason to fear