OMG, I TURNED INTO A PRIVLADGED WHITE WOMAN WHEN I WASN’T LOOKING.

Our Racism lives in our assumptions.  Last week I started going to NOC (Neighbors Organizing for Change) to phone-bank in favor of the “Working Families Agenda”.  NOC is an organization of primarily African American residents from the North Side of Minneapolis.  Their building burned down last spring.  They have a new one on Broadway, an old bank building.  Last week it looked like it should with people just moving in.  This week the walls had a bright new coat of paint.  And I couldn’t stop saying, out loud, “nice paint job” “that really looks nice”.  Then I could hear the galloping of my better sense trying to catch up with me saying : “SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT THE PAINT.  WHAT DID YOU THINK THEY WOULD DO?  YOU DON’T THINK THEY CAN GET THE DAMN WALLS PAINTED.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU”.  Luckily it stopped me from saying it yet a third time.  Our “Race Assumption” are often in the form of low expectations.  We are normally not conscience of them, but the people receiving them are very conscious of them.  I will spare you the details of how surprised I was with how “nice” the coffee shop next store was.