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The Lens of America’s Caste System Exposed My Own Prejudice
A brief interaction at Target became a window into internalized racism
I’ve often heard the platitude “difference is our strength” to describe America. What we don’t say is that living with difference can be difficult. As humans, we have a natural tendency to categorize people, to exaggerate our differences, and to see others as separate from ourselves. Our social programming, including our proclivity towards prejudice and racism, can make us uncomfortable with or suspicious of people of a different race, gender, or class.
I’m no exception. During the heady, pre-mask summer of 2019, I made my first solo trip out in public since my daughter was born six months earlier. I listlessly wandered the aisles of Target in a sleep-deprived daze.
Once I headed for the registers, I noticed a group of Black teenage girls walking toward me. As they neared, I became overwhelmed with a strange sense of panic.
How should I behave? Should I smile at them? Ignore them? Is there a non-verbal cue to say, “I’m in solidarity with you?” To convey, “I’m a brown person too, and I don’t get all of it, but I get some of it?”
My heart pounded in my ears and against my ribcage. I knew there were implicit social rules, liberal…
