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1 CuriousLurker  Jan 18, 2015 10:06:08am

I grew up in Texas* and am half White & half Mexican, but I’m brown (my younger brother totally passes). This reminds me of when I was a kid and used to go to the local dime store in our neighborhood and would get followed around by scowling clerks like I was going to steal something. It was humiliating and always left me feeling ashamed, even though I’d done nothing wrong,

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*I don’t know if you’re familiar with how things in Texas are—or at least were until the time I left 15+ years ago—but anyone perceived as “Messkin” is considered a second class citizen at best, despite the fact that in many places Hispanics (most of whom are Mexican American) are the majority of the population.

2 Lumberhead  Jan 18, 2015 10:56:36am

The whole Texas/Southwest to Southern California experience with Mexicans is unknown to me on a personal level. I grew up in NYC and have lived my entire life in the Northeast. Growing up in NYC, HIspanics for me were mostly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. It being NYC there were obviously many different nationalities around but those were the two most dominant Hispanic populations. The Hispanic experience up here was probably very similar other than there really weren’t many places where they were the majority of the population.
As you can probably tell from my profile picture, I’m very fair skinned for an African-American. Many people either assume that I’m Hispanic or are just confused. If I was growing up today I’d guess many might think I was bi-racial since that is more common today. Virtually no one thinks I’m Caucasian so I was treated as a minority no matter their assumptions about my heritage.
Like every other minority, I’ve been treated with suspicion my whole life. I’ll still get followed around stores but elderly women are less likely to pull their purse closer once they see all the gray in my beard and on my head. When I was young it made me angry and I would sometimes confront someone following me around a store. Now I’m too tired to bother.

3 CuriousLurker  Jan 18, 2015 11:16:17am

re: #2 Lumberhead

After I became Muslim and started wearing a headscarf, it’s been 20+ years now, staying in Texas was not an option. After around 7 years of people staring, pointing, and making ignorant and/or nasty comments, I had grown a HUGE chip on my shoulder and I knew that if I didn’t leave soon something bad was gonna happen. I fled to NYC (Brooklyn) via NJ and never looked back. As a matter of fact, I’ve only been south of the Mason-Dixon line once since arriving up here (to visit my little brother in Richmond back in 2001).

I know there’s racism & bigotry up here too, but it’s WAY less (or maybe just more well hidden—at least the in-your-face stuff) than in Texas. I’ve remained in Brooklyn, Queens & NJ ever since leaving TX and am quite happy. If I’d known how much more comfortable I’d feel here, I would’ve left years earlier.

4 Lumberhead  Jan 18, 2015 12:39:15pm

It’s good that you’ve been able to find somewhere that you feel comfortable being yourself. The NYC region has many problems but it is mostly accepting of different cultures, at least outwardly. As you say, the in your face stuff isn’t very prevalent. I wish it wasn’t as self-segregating as to where people live. People should live where they can afford to live regardless of race/ethnicity and that generally isn’t the case there.

6 CuriousLurker  Jan 19, 2015 1:26:13pm

Yeah, I read about the former this morning. Apparently they’re not aware that every Middle Easterner or Arab isn’t a (scary) Muslim.

As for the latter…. Freedom High School? Are they serious? Yes, I’m sure they are. *facepalm, headdesk*

7 electrotek  Jan 19, 2015 4:23:17pm

re: #6 CuriousLurker

Yeah, I read about the former this morning. Apparently they’re not aware that every Middle Easterner or Arab isn’t a (scary) Muslim.

As for the latter…. Freedom High School? Are they serious? Yes, I’m sure they are. *facepalm, headdesk*

Little do they know that Frisco, like Plano, Richardson, and Irving, actually has a pretty decent sized Muslim community that is of the professional class.

But alas, it’s Frisco, typical WASP suburbia, hate to say it.

The D/FW area has a flourishing Muslim community that is less insular and more open, and even if there are a few bad apples, the diversity of the community often overrides those bad apples.

8 electrotek  Jan 19, 2015 4:24:21pm

re: #6 CuriousLurker

Yeah, I read about the former this morning. Apparently they’re not aware that every Middle Easterner or Arab isn’t a (scary) Muslim.

As for the latter…. Freedom High School? Are they serious? Yes, I’m sure they are. *facepalm, headdesk*

Yet they will have no problem co-opting white Muslims when it suits their agenda (i.e. trying to turn Bosnian Muslims in St Louis against black people late last year).


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