Dr. Christina H Edmondson
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Ask the Culture Queens: Lady Door-Lock 

4/8/2015

3 Comments

 
Dear Culture Queen,

I live in an urban neighborhood and my front door is very near the sidewalk.  One evening last summer, I was inside my house and realized that I hadn't locked the door (we typically keep it locked for safety).  As I turned the bolt, I unthinkingly glanced out the window of my door.  Just at the moment that the deadbolt made its loud "ka-chunk" sound, I realized with horror that I was making direct eye contact with an African-American male who happened to be walking by at that moment.  It totally appeared as if I, a white female, was intentionally locking the door out of fear that he was dangerous as I stared at him through the window.  My impulse was to unlock the door, run onto the porch, and explain that I wasn't afraid of him and was so glad to be sharing a neighborhood together.  But I was afraid that doing so would just make matters worse.  (Verbalizing any version of "I'm not afraid of black males" seemed to have the potential of being a further micro-aggression...)  In the split second I had to make that decision before he was gone, I froze and did nothing.  I wouldn't blame the guy for chalking this experience up as another experience of racism from paranoid white people, and I wonder what you would advise that I had done. 

Thanks for your insight,
Lady Door-Lock
3 Comments
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5/5/2015 06:52:12 pm

I wouldn't blame the guy for chalking this experience up as another experience of racism from paranoid white people, and I wonder what you would advise that I had done.

Reply
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7/13/2015 07:16:16 pm

I froze and did nothing. I wouldn't blame the guy for chalking this experience up as another experience of racism from paranoid white people, and I wonder what you would advise that I had done.

Reply
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8/25/2015 07:07:48 pm

My impulse was to unlock the door, run onto the porch, and explain that I wasn't afraid of him and was so glad to be sharing a neighborhood together.

Reply



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    Your-Humble-Advice-Givers

    Christina is a cultural faux pas magnet.  Questions from people of color and racial majority folks about micro-aggressions and cultural misunderstandings tend to fill her week. Between answering such questions she has served as a mental health practitioner, administrator, educator, public speaker and die-hard family-woman. When it comes to culture, from the funny to the tragic, she has heard it all. Remember cultural competency is a journey so lets journey together.  


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