Do you think this is Racist?
The report I filed. My name is Jane Jones and I feel like I have been racialy mistreated going through security at the Memphis International Airport. My flight was with American Airlines at 6:15. As I was going throgh security yesterday 2/23/2011 around 5:40 I handed my id and tickets to the security woman at the check point. I had already taken off my shoes and my 3 children shoes. My mother was with me and she was helping me carry our shoes and jackets. The lady asked my mom rudely to step behind the line since she was not traveling. I understand it's a safety procedure so I didn't get upset. Still seeing that i'm struggling trying to gather our items from my mom she just stood there. My mom asked "is there a basket she can sit their stuff in?" The lady just looked so I grabbed a container to place our stuff in.. To make a long story short the security woman pretened there was a problem with my tickets and ask one of the workers to go check on it.. He retured in less than a minute and and said that the AA associate said the tickets were fine (she just printed them out) As my children and I stood to the side I watched as she check three white people tickets and id. She barely glanced at their id's and tickets. Then she told me that I could go through. My mom asked what was the problem why was it taking so long and I told my mom "look at the color of my skin". The security woman just gave me a look like oh well she didn't once say no it's not that and explain the problem. I never experienced anything like this in my life. My children are 5, 3, and 1 years old so imagine how hard it was getting all of them through the airport alone. When I got on the plane a few tears rolled down my face because I know that lady treated me this way because I was black and I guess she didn't want the other white people to have to wait on my 3 kids and I to go through checkpoint.
Other - Cultures & Groups - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Are you sure this happened because of your skin? Or are you just playing the race card? If it was because of your skin then it's quite racist, but I doubt that it was.
2 :
Yes, very racist. Something needs to be done about it.
3 :
You had tickets she didn't recognize. It's her job to check these things. How is that racist? I mean, if the white passengers had the same kind of tickets that she wasn't sure of and she let them pass, then that would be discrimination. The problem: Your tickets looked questionable, not your skin. I don't get it. I mean it's like you're so self conscious about being treated differently, that you can't even think logically. I feel sorry for you. You need help if you want to have a less stressful life.
4 :
I agree with you... and if it wasn't based on race, it was based on something and you were treated rudely and unfairly. Who knows the reason, since it wasn't confirmed.... but it seems awfully fishy that you were the only one she felt the need to check up on. Perhaps you wouldn't have come to this conclusion had she treated you with courtesy in the first place. Good luck, hope it all works out. Don't let the ignorant people out there get you down, there time in power is ending.
5 :
I am an olive skinned - South Asian - Punjabi guy myself, and I think your being too soft/ over sensitive about the situation. Even I live in the UK and when I started a white majority school with all white kids - even though I am not as dark as Black people (just a little tanned) I still felt out of place sometimes. This got to the extent that even when I thought a kid, or a teacher, or a worker came across as abrupt - I automatically assumed in my mind that it was racism - anyway long story short a lot of the people I met the second time round seem to be fine - so it was never racism at all it was all in my head. A similar case - might have happened with you - you might have caught that woman on an off day where she was being like that with anyone - she may have reacted similar to a white, or any other race passing through the airport. I am just saying - I think Black people shouldn't be so quick to pull out the race card these days - general racism against Blacks hasn't been around for a long time in the US or the UK - they are respected because of Music and other various contributions. If anything I think us Olive/ Brown complexioned people suffer the most racism these days due to 9/11 and various other predicaments hapenning in South Asia and the Middle East - and you never hear us pulling out the race card.
