Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at 1:01am
Stupidity and my comfortable train ride
Column: All Paths
Like many other African-American males, I often lament about how we are treated in this country. It's hard to believe that, well into the 21st century, we are targets of racial profiling by police all over the country and a simple thing like catching a taxi in a major city is impossible. I could go on and on with a list that could stretch from Washington, D.C., to New York about how we are treated differently in America. There are studies that suggest that many of the health problems African-American males suffer from are directly related to the stress caused by this prejudicial treatment.
A few days ago, while riding to New York from Washington on an Amtrak train, I had an experience in which being treated differently, simply because I was an African-American male, lessened my stress level. I was seated in the middle part of this car across the aisle from another African American male and, like me, the seat next to him was empty.
When we pulled into the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, a large number of riders came on board. The conductor announced that those who were already seated should remove any items that they had on the seats next to them, because the train was crowded. So l picked up my things from the seat next to me and put them on the floor in front of me, and I saw the man across the aisle do the same.
Rider after rider filed by and started filling all the empty seats. I got up to go to the bathroom, and on the way back I noticed that there were only two empty seats in the car, and they were next to two African-American males. To make sure that I was not being overly sensitive, I took a long, hard look around the car and it was overwhelmingly white with exception of an older African-American couple and the two of us. The only conclusion I could reach is that we were not desirable seatmates for some of our white riders.
I know some of you may think this is a stretch or that I am misreading the situation. Please know that this is not the case. This is not the first time I have experienced this on Amtrak or the subway system in Washington.
I have a friend who is African-American and a minister. He told me that he used to ride the subway when he worked in downtown Washington. On those days when he would wear a regular business suit to work, white riders seldom sat next to him or engaged him in conversation. However, on those days when he wore his collar, white riders readily sat next to him and often spoke to him. He said he felt that the collar made him non-threatening.
Now I guess some of you think that because no one sat next to me, I felt upset or diminished in some way. Well, not quite. Actually, I was very happy about this. You see, this was an early morning train and I was tired and wanted to stretch out and get some sleep. And that's exactly what I did. Yes, I had a very comfortable and stress-free ride in a nice, big, soft seat all to myself. Sometimes being the target of stupid behavior and thinking has its rewards, and I want to thank those who chose not to sit next to this African-American man for a great train ride to New York.
It has been over 40 years since Martin Luther King made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in which he said he wanted to live in a country where people were judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. I think we have made good progress in this regard but perhaps not enough.
My experience on the train is a small matter in comparison to the major race and intolerance issues facing America. However, it does give us some insight about where we are as a society concerning race relations. We are by no means anywhere close to being a color-blind society. As a matter of fact, we are a society that looks or sees what is different first. I believe most of us see gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity before we look at or explore anything else about another person.
So today I am going to ask you that when you walk down the street or ride a bus, plane or train, try to see people as part of the creator's human family who are hardworking and want many of the same things you want out of life. And if each of us can commit to doing this, perhaps sometime in the future I won't have a comfortable and stress-free train ride to New York in a nice, big seat all to myself.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.
A few days ago, while riding to New York from Washington on an Amtrak train, I had an experience in which being treated differently, simply because I was an African-American male, lessened my stress level. I was seated in the middle part of this car across the aisle from another African American male and, like me, the seat next to him was empty.
When we pulled into the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, a large number of riders came on board. The conductor announced that those who were already seated should remove any items that they had on the seats next to them, because the train was crowded. So l picked up my things from the seat next to me and put them on the floor in front of me, and I saw the man across the aisle do the same.
Rider after rider filed by and started filling all the empty seats. I got up to go to the bathroom, and on the way back I noticed that there were only two empty seats in the car, and they were next to two African-American males. To make sure that I was not being overly sensitive, I took a long, hard look around the car and it was overwhelmingly white with exception of an older African-American couple and the two of us. The only conclusion I could reach is that we were not desirable seatmates for some of our white riders.
I know some of you may think this is a stretch or that I am misreading the situation. Please know that this is not the case. This is not the first time I have experienced this on Amtrak or the subway system in Washington.
I have a friend who is African-American and a minister. He told me that he used to ride the subway when he worked in downtown Washington. On those days when he would wear a regular business suit to work, white riders seldom sat next to him or engaged him in conversation. However, on those days when he wore his collar, white riders readily sat next to him and often spoke to him. He said he felt that the collar made him non-threatening.
Now I guess some of you think that because no one sat next to me, I felt upset or diminished in some way. Well, not quite. Actually, I was very happy about this. You see, this was an early morning train and I was tired and wanted to stretch out and get some sleep. And that's exactly what I did. Yes, I had a very comfortable and stress-free ride in a nice, big, soft seat all to myself. Sometimes being the target of stupid behavior and thinking has its rewards, and I want to thank those who chose not to sit next to this African-American man for a great train ride to New York.
It has been over 40 years since Martin Luther King made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in which he said he wanted to live in a country where people were judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. I think we have made good progress in this regard but perhaps not enough.
My experience on the train is a small matter in comparison to the major race and intolerance issues facing America. However, it does give us some insight about where we are as a society concerning race relations. We are by no means anywhere close to being a color-blind society. As a matter of fact, we are a society that looks or sees what is different first. I believe most of us see gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity before we look at or explore anything else about another person.
So today I am going to ask you that when you walk down the street or ride a bus, plane or train, try to see people as part of the creator's human family who are hardworking and want many of the same things you want out of life. And if each of us can commit to doing this, perhaps sometime in the future I won't have a comfortable and stress-free train ride to New York in a nice, big seat all to myself.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © Copyright 2007 by Jay Speights.