If Given the Chance, Would You Change Your Race

[btb87]

What an excellent question!

You asked for honesty, and here it is. . .

I would change for a week, just to see how much of a difference it would be. Not only would I change my skin color, I would change my gender (to become a white male)! I would be able to see that there is no glass ceiling for me, and I could get someone else's job based on not what I know, but who I know, all the while putting someone else out of a job that they had to train me for! Wouldn't that be fun! I would also get to see what it is that many Black people blame me, "the man", for. I would see how many of my white counterparts really felt about "those Blacks".

Would that change anything? Unfortunately, I don't think so. I feel that being Black, particularly one that was reared in the South, has given me more compassion for others that suffered some of the same things as I have - being raised by "uneducated" people, not seeing "professional" people around you except teachers, but still being richer because of my experience of being reared by my grandparents.

There is a movie that came out in 1964 titled Black Like Me starring James Whitmore as a white writer that decided to become Black to experience prejudice. After a short time, he wanted out. Very interesting movie.