I was at a well known grocery store doing a demo this past Sunday. I noticed a sista who looked like she was in her 20's talking loud on her cell phone (so loud that everyone in the store could hear her conversation). Before I go on with my story I must say that I don't like loud women, it is one of my biggest turn-offs. In addition when you hear someone who's trying to be seen-I always get so disappointed in what I see. Why talk so loud to be looked at when you are not pleasing to the eye? Anyway, back to my story. This middle-aged woman (noticed I said woman)walks up to me as though she was insulted by the younger sista walking in the grocery store being loud. She started to talk about her right away, I changed the conversation to something else. Is it still pretty outside?...How is your Sunday going? What are you planning on cooking today? Questions like that. She stayed in my face the whole time just smiling and joking. Our conversation ended with a friendly good-bye. She walked away with my back towards her and came back to me, putting her hands on my shoulder and broke into a prayer. Now let me say this, there is nothing wrong with prayer. I pray a lot of times during the day, whenever the spirit moves me-but, I had never had a stranger walk up to me and break out in prayer. So, I did not participate in it and very soon I understood why I didn't participate with her. Her prayer be ginned with "In the name of God", wipe away the demons that this child possess O Lord. I quickly snatched away from her and I said woooooo...She continued and got louder and louder, (I beginned to think that maybe that was her daughter walking through the store trying to be seen). She went on to say that I thought I was a man because I had a man's wallet in my back pocket. The more she talked the louder she got. A manager was working very close to me and quickly came over with some other store employees. They were trying to get me out of her way-protect me and then they were going to remove her. I told them that the best way to protect me was to get this woman out of the store-I was not going to be moved. I came to do my job and that what I was going to do. They removed this woman from the store and apologized to me for her actions. I accepted the apology and did the best sales job in doing the demos that I had ever done, I sold out of all of the items that I was to sell. Started working on that item "sister" item and sold out of them.
Question...What makes someone like that? What makes a person tick like that? Why do some people think they can judge others because of a person's lifestyle. While this woman was "praying", I thought of a verse in the Bible "For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life" John 3 v16. OK, I fall under that Bible verse. We can even talk about Sodom and Gomorrah having been used as metaphors for sinfulness and sexual deviation. The one time that homosexuality was used as a "no-no" in the Bible was because sex was not suppose to be for pleasure but for procreation during that day and time. Two women having sex can not produce children and the same goes for two men.
I have a quote I keep in my head before I open my mouth. I know how ignorant I am by learning something new everyday. My grandfather use to say to me that "you're never to old to learn". He died with a dictionary at his side. I say this because don't just assume anything and don't just read half of the reading. Please-please don't believe everything a person says, just because it came out of their mouth so it must be the truth. Look it up and do research for yourself. If you read half of the story the other half is still empty. Get it? You are just as empty without all of the details.
Now this woman did not know me from "Camesha", she just assumed that I was a lesbian (which I am extremely proud to be part of the community) because my wallet was in my back pocket. Why was she looking at my butt, I don't know. I have a brain injury one of the ways that my counselors at the Shepherd Center wanted me and others to do was to get rid of the big pocketbooks, use something that is small and compact enough to keep our ID's on us. So, I could have been a female who just came out of such treatment. On days when the stores are slow, I tend to walk around the store with a cart (I can't stay still, when it's boring)with the samples in them to meet the customers (I am certainly not going to carry a purse with me at that time). Why I am explaining my actions for me having a wallet in my back pocket? I should not be-it is my prerogative to wear my clothes the way that I want too, I am comfortable and I am not harming anybody. I have been audited many times over while doing my demos, the first thing that the agents say is that I look clean and professional.
Let, me say this. There are many, many ignorant people in this world. I did not let this woman put me in a funk, because I would not have had the productive day that I did have. As a matter of fact, while she was on her rage, I kept looking at her and smiling-that made her mad and she got louder and louder (which put an even bigger smile on my face). Today, I can not tolerate and will not tolerate such ignorance. She and others need to get out of my bedroom and tend to their own bedroom. People like that need to put that type of emotion and energy into child molesters, rapists, killers, homelessness, children who have dropped out of school, disability rights, etc...
I wrote this piece to show what day and time we live in 2008. Blacks and African-Americans should be the last group to discriminate against another person and put such ignorant thinking/act on God. That's just too convenient. Malcolm X said, "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything". Let's not fall for anything. Let's begin to do research, ask questions and become more and more curious about whatever subject we are interested in, talk about the subject in an intelligent manner to someone who has more intellect/insite on the subject that interest you.
