home sweet home

Though racism is significantly better than it was in years past, it is still a relevant topic.  I come from a small town where everyone is white and middle class.   Most would say that they are not racist toward any group of people and are very accepting.  Though, they are aware of race.  If someone were to ask anyone in my high school how many black people went there, they would respond by saying “four.”  Rather than saying something like “not many,” everyone knows the exact number.  From what I noticed, they were all treated equally in the classroom.  They had plenty of friends and were accepted by the student body just like everyone else.  Yet they were singled out for having different colored skin.  It was known throughout the town that there were four black people that went to Metamora.  Were they really treated as equals if everyone singled them out?

When the question came up, “how many black people are at Metamora High School,” it was common to list their names because there were only four.  The same guy was always the first one to be named. Then, the next three were a little trickier to remember.  After class Monday, it dawned on me that the one everyone could name first would be considered “less white” than the other three.  It is chilling for me to think that in my hometown, a community that considers itself accepting and far from racist, unknowingly allows things like this to happen.