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A white boy came up to my son at baseball practice and said ,”you look like you’re from Japan. You look like you came straight from Tokyo.” 1/
My son didn’t say anything. I didn’t say anything. It was our first day, we were surrounded by white ppl in the south. #notsafe 2/
After practice I approached the bou’s dad, who is also the baseball coach. I took him aside. 3/
I said, “Your son said this to my son.” The dad looked so embarrassed, said sorry, and said his son was obsessed with Chinese and Japanese people. 4/
He called his son over and said “stop doing that and say sorry.” And that was it. 5/
At home I processed this w/ my sons. They asked me “what should I say to ppl who say things like that?” 6/
I told him “it all depends on where you are and who you’re talking to. But always tell me and tell your teacher.” And on and on we processed. 7/
I bet the white boy’s processing consisted of “Stop doing that.” And that’s it. 8/
So white parents, don’t leave it up to POC to deal with your children’s racist microaggressive behaviors towards their children, and don’t mistake your children’s “innocent” questions abt ethnicity/nationality with their blatant orientalism. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Microaggressions, seemingly harmless, cut deep without us even knowing it. We walk away from these interactions bleeding, not knowing what just happened to us. We are confused and tired as we try to put our bandages on...
In this case, I put bandages on my children as I re-bandage myself. I prepare them for the many cuts that lie ahead. #theend #thebeginning
