Some might argue I am just too easily offended...

I've heard this argument that African-Americans are just too sensitive about race. The argument implies that we somehow are consumed with waiting for someone to make the tiniest race mistake so we can point it out and say. "Look, look, that person made a huge race blunder." This simply is not the case. I do not sit around with my thumb up my butt waiting for someone to offend me. It just happens, it's the nature of the 'I live in a backwards state game."

Recently when I remarked that I had no clue who Nikki Giovanni was my mother was shocked. She was shocked in one way but then again she wasn't. Let me further explain. Growing up, I did not see color, people were people, I came from California. Our motto was instead, trust no one. See that makes it simple, never make eye contact with bums, don't give people money because they are probably making more money begging on the street than you at your 40 plus hour a week job. Don't comment, there are nice people in Cali. My point is that it didn't matter, anyone can wrong or right you no matter what color their skin was.

Also, I hated going down South because they played by a different set of rules that rubbed me the wrong way. I wasn't so fond of the East coast because African-Americans seemed so radical about being Black, proud and the like. I never cared about skin tone all I cared about was how nice you were and that you weren't going to rip me off in some way. Well, I moved to glorious Idaho and suddenly the rules changed. I never cared about reading books by African-American authors before. I read what pleased me. It did not matter to me what the skin tone of the author was. I knew what I liked and enjoyed reading whatever I pleased. Thus, Nikki Giovanni's words would have been lost to someone who really didn't care one way or the other what color you were. Perhaps even I might have felt her words were too strong and old fashioned... the 1960s were so done.

So in 2008 I find myself being blamed for being overly sensitive. So be it. I am sick, sick, sick of people making snap judgments about me based on my skin tone. Of course I have a story for today. There I was walking across the Boise State University campus this morning, minding my very own business. What happens? Well, I am about 90% positive that an Associate Dean in one of the Colleges locked their doors when they saw me. This act is always a shocker. This is why there is the 10% of doubt that it was this particular Associate Dean. I was walking by and it was difficult for me to whip around that fast and verify the identity of the person that quickly. Just to satisfy the naysayers, there were not strange people lurking around I looked around in all directions several times to make sure I was the only person around. I wasn't in the parking garage, it was the main lot right outside the school where God and everybody see everything. I have seen this person around many times and I am sure they've seen me as well considering I stick out like a sore thumb.

This raises more questions than I can answer. How could this person not recognize me? Which stereotype was this person using when they locked their door. Are they untrusting of all African-Americans? Do they think we all look alike is that why the person did not recognize me? I can't answer those questions for this person. I am offended that a person who is in authority over so much could do such a thing. I was just walking by and as soon as the person saw me I heard the all too familiar click of all four car doors. I was not approaching the vehicle from the back or side, I was walking down the sidewalk and the front part of the person's vehicle was pulled in the space. Realistically, if I did try to approach the vehicle in any way it would not have been a sneak attack.

Why would someone do something like this to me? Why? I haven't gotten the door lock in quite some time. Do you know I go out of my way to help bigots feel more comfortable. In stores when ladies leave their purses in the fronts of carts, I steer clear so they don't get jumpy. FYI nobody from California would ever do something THAT stupid by the way, you are just asking to be robbed. Anyway, I live my life trying to duck under the radar and make people feel safe around me. What benefit is there to doing this? Obviously people still think I am going to rip them off or attack them. You know the last time I saw this person wandering around in my building I almost introduced myself because I would have been honored to meet them because they are an Associate Dean of one of the Colleges. Where is your honor Dean?