At the Free Jena 6 rally on Saturday, several speakers spoke to how similar incidents can and do happen in Hartford. This is something that we know and understand, but the racism we see daily is usually delivered in such an underhanded way–environmental racism or having the city policed largely by non-residents.
But then yesterday, I had to deal with something at work.
I try to avoid writing about my jobs here partly to maintain intrigue, but mostly to avoid getting in trouble for writing something and consequently getting fired. It happens, and I don’t want to provide ammo for anyone.
This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with racism at this particular workplace, but this has been the most blatant.
Recently, a student had a sign with the “n” word stuck to her back. It also included the phrase, “kick the black girl.”
This student is someone who is non-confrontational and as far as I’ve witnessed, kind to everybody. I can not imagine her having provoked this in any way.
I’m writing about this here because I have so little faith in the administration doing anything to make right this totally fucked up situation…and that’s not because they are necessarily racist, but because bureaucracies are ineffective. Although the rules of the game are spelled out in the student handbook (students have a right to be in a non-threatening environment), the reality is that this is a college in a city where the usual “secure” kind of campus does not exist. The building is shared with a magnet school and the general public. The college and school could work together more closely, but that hasn’t happened yet, and I doubt this situation will be an exception.
Being at the receiving end of someone’s ignorance and hate is one thing. I know how to handle myself, and I’m pretty okay with telling anyone where to go should the need arise. But it’s quite a different problem when trying to advise a student to take a more sensible (read: legal and nonviolent) approach.