1/
#WhatsYourWhy, Day 3 of 7
Parking lot
I was walking to my car and saw 2 men next to a car and laughing. They appeared relaxed with one another.
Me: *waving* “Y’all doing alright?”
Them: *waving back* “Good and you?”
Me: “Trying to make it.”
They gave knowing nods.
#WhatsYourWhy, Day 3 of 7
Parking lot
I was walking to my car and saw 2 men next to a car and laughing. They appeared relaxed with one another.
Me: *waving* “Y’all doing alright?”
Them: *waving back* “Good and you?”
Me: “Trying to make it.”
They gave knowing nods.
2/
"Trying to make it."
An expression Black folks know well.
Yup.
One was wearing an Atlanta Falcons hoodie with the hood up. Only a strip of pecan-colored skin could be seen above his mask.
The other had on a thread-bare short-sleeved t-shirt & a neck gaiter over his nose.
"Trying to make it."
An expression Black folks know well.
Yup.
One was wearing an Atlanta Falcons hoodie with the hood up. Only a strip of pecan-colored skin could be seen above his mask.
The other had on a thread-bare short-sleeved t-shirt & a neck gaiter over his nose.
3/
Me: “Dang! You ain’t cold out here with that short-sleeved shirt?”
He rubbed his dark brown arms and laughed.
Hoodie: “Nah, the ashiness is protective.”
*laughter*
T-shirt: “I’ll take ashy over that wack ass Falcons hoodie.”
Me: “Yeeeah. . .not the best year for us.”
Me: “Dang! You ain’t cold out here with that short-sleeved shirt?”
He rubbed his dark brown arms and laughed.
Hoodie: “Nah, the ashiness is protective.”
*laughter*
T-shirt: “I’ll take ashy over that wack ass Falcons hoodie.”
Me: “Yeeeah. . .not the best year for us.”
4/
T-shirt: “Not the best year for Y’ALL. That’s his team.”
Hoodie: “I’m always gon’ rep the hometeam, folk!”
*laughter*
Me: “Hey . . .umm. . .I’m a doctor at Grady and wanted to ask if y’all plan to get a #COVIDVaccine when the chance comes.”
They exchanged glances.
T-shirt: “Not the best year for Y’ALL. That’s his team.”
Hoodie: “I’m always gon’ rep the hometeam, folk!”
*laughter*
Me: “Hey . . .umm. . .I’m a doctor at Grady and wanted to ask if y’all plan to get a #COVIDVaccine when the chance comes.”
They exchanged glances.
5/
Me: “Dang. It’s like that?”
Hoodie: *chuckling* “Nah. I probably will at some point. But him?” *shaking head laughing*
Me: *looking at his friend* “What about you?”
He turned his body slightly away from me. And the twinkle that was in his eyes before darkened.
Dang.
Me: “Dang. It’s like that?”
Hoodie: *chuckling* “Nah. I probably will at some point. But him?” *shaking head laughing*
Me: *looking at his friend* “What about you?”
He turned his body slightly away from me. And the twinkle that was in his eyes before darkened.
Dang.
6/
Me: *shifting back to Hoodie* “So . . .you say you probably will? What makes you say that?”
Hoodie: “My wife, that's what.”
*collective laughter*
T-shirt: “Pssshhh.” *shaking head* “Hell nah.”
Me: “Hmm. . . mind me asking why?”
T-shirt: “To be honest? Yeah. I do.”
Eek.
Me: *shifting back to Hoodie* “So . . .you say you probably will? What makes you say that?”
Hoodie: “My wife, that's what.”
*collective laughter*
T-shirt: “Pssshhh.” *shaking head* “Hell nah.”
Me: “Hmm. . . mind me asking why?”
T-shirt: “To be honest? Yeah. I do.”
Eek.
7/
I raised a hand and nodded.
Me: “Okay. Fair.” *turning to leave* “Hey, I hope you’ll think about it.”
His face crinkled in disapproval. I immediately felt embarrassed.
T-shirt: “And I hope YOU'LL think about the fact that Black folks ain’t stupid as everybody think.”
I raised a hand and nodded.
Me: “Okay. Fair.” *turning to leave* “Hey, I hope you’ll think about it.”
His face crinkled in disapproval. I immediately felt embarrassed.
T-shirt: “And I hope YOU'LL think about the fact that Black folks ain’t stupid as everybody think.”
8/
Body blow.
T-shirt: “There ain't NOTHING good that's ever been offered to the masses. EVER. If it was that great? It would only be going to rich people. Trust me on that.”
Me: *thinking* “Hmmm. You think so?”
T-shirt: “Shit, I know so.”
He punctuated it with a snort.
Body blow.
T-shirt: “There ain't NOTHING good that's ever been offered to the masses. EVER. If it was that great? It would only be going to rich people. Trust me on that.”
Me: *thinking* “Hmmm. You think so?”
T-shirt: “Shit, I know so.”
He punctuated it with a snort.
9/
Me: “But like. . .in this case. . . the masses getting it WOULD benefit the rich. So maybe that’s part of it?”
T-shirt: “Bullshit. It benefits whoever you be with. Rich folks ain’t getting no COVID from nobody poor.”
Me: “What about their employees?”
T-shirt: *shrug* “And?”
Me: “But like. . .in this case. . . the masses getting it WOULD benefit the rich. So maybe that’s part of it?”
T-shirt: “Bullshit. It benefits whoever you be with. Rich folks ain’t getting no COVID from nobody poor.”
Me: “What about their employees?”
T-shirt: *shrug* “And?”
10/
I opened my mouth to speak and then stopped.
T-shirt: *glaring at me* “In the whole history of America, there ain’t been SHIT that’s REALLY good that’s made available to more than RICH folks. Not schools, not health care, not SHIT.”
Ooph.
Hoodie shifted on his hightops.
I opened my mouth to speak and then stopped.
T-shirt: *glaring at me* “In the whole history of America, there ain’t been SHIT that’s REALLY good that’s made available to more than RICH folks. Not schools, not health care, not SHIT.”
Ooph.
Hoodie shifted on his hightops.
11/
I tried to think of something to say back but was tongue-tied.
T-shirt: “You ever seen a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s in the HOOD?”
Hoodie and me: *thinking*
T-shirt: “And I AIN'T talking 'bout the GENTRIFIED hood. The REAL hood.” *still glaring* "EXACTLY!"
Dang.
I tried to think of something to say back but was tongue-tied.
T-shirt: “You ever seen a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s in the HOOD?”
Hoodie and me: *thinking*
T-shirt: “And I AIN'T talking 'bout the GENTRIFIED hood. The REAL hood.” *still glaring* "EXACTLY!"
Dang.
12/
T-shirt: “And you WON'T.”
*awkward silence*
Me: *sigh* "Umm. . so is it that you think it’s something bad in it or . . .what?”
T-shirt: “I don’t think SHIT. I just KNOW what I see every day.”
Something about the way he said that part let me know he was done talking to me.
T-shirt: “And you WON'T.”
*awkward silence*
Me: *sigh* "Umm. . so is it that you think it’s something bad in it or . . .what?”
T-shirt: “I don’t think SHIT. I just KNOW what I see every day.”
Something about the way he said that part let me know he was done talking to me.
13/
I looked down and gave a slow nod.
Hoodie: “It’s okay, Doc. 1 out of 2 ain’t so bad.”
He offered me a chuckle.
I think that was meant to make me feel better. But something about him saying that made me feel worse. I think he sensed it and tried to lighten things up.
I looked down and gave a slow nod.
Hoodie: “It’s okay, Doc. 1 out of 2 ain’t so bad.”
He offered me a chuckle.
I think that was meant to make me feel better. But something about him saying that made me feel worse. I think he sensed it and tried to lighten things up.
14/
Hoodie: *laughing* “Dead ass--I KNEW I was good when they gave it to my man Hank Aaron.”
As in “dead ass serious.”
T-shirt: *eyeroll* “F that. Maaan, they could wake Kobe Bryant up from the MF dead & give him that shot on live TV & I STILL wouldn't take that shit.”
Whew.
Hoodie: *laughing* “Dead ass--I KNEW I was good when they gave it to my man Hank Aaron.”
As in “dead ass serious.”
T-shirt: *eyeroll* “F that. Maaan, they could wake Kobe Bryant up from the MF dead & give him that shot on live TV & I STILL wouldn't take that shit.”
Whew.
15/
I decided to leave it alone.
Me: “Alright then y’all. Good chatting with y'all.”
Them: “Alright then.”
*waving*
I started to crack a joke about him getting some lotion for those ashy elbows. Or about the 4-12 Falcons football season.
But left it alone.
Yeah.
I decided to leave it alone.
Me: “Alright then y’all. Good chatting with y'all.”
Them: “Alright then.”
*waving*
I started to crack a joke about him getting some lotion for those ashy elbows. Or about the 4-12 Falcons football season.
But left it alone.
Yeah.
16/
A soft yes.
A hard no.
Insistence of a spouse.
A hero publicly taking the vaccine.
A belief that something freely offered to more than just the rich is suspect.
And a lived experience that supports that idea.
These were their whys.
Theirs.
Yeah.
#BlackWhysMatter
A soft yes.
A hard no.
Insistence of a spouse.
A hero publicly taking the vaccine.
A belief that something freely offered to more than just the rich is suspect.
And a lived experience that supports that idea.
These were their whys.
Theirs.
Yeah.
#BlackWhysMatter
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