Ethnic Assumptions in the Workplace

[Sistermadly]

Maybe this should go under politics, but I wanted to put it where a lot of people would see it. It might be kinda long, so I apologize in advance.

I work in an office where I'm the only Black person. I'm also the only American, the only woman, and the only non-Christian, but those are different topics for different threads.

The CEO of the small start-up where I work is Chinese. He was educated in the US but he has limited experience with African Americans. Before he left on a business trip to Hawaii, I heard him talking to one of the partners on the phone. He said "When I come back you might not recognize me. I might be as dark as Sistermadly!" -- and I was sitting right there.

The other day, the subject of religion came up (I was dreading it). He asked me whether I'd found a church home in town, and I told him that while I had some ideas about God, that I don't like churches and church politics. He said "Oh, that's surprising. I would have assumed that a person from your group would be deeply religious. Isn't that usually the case?"

Now - I've learned to let a lot slide since moving up here from the US, mainly because there aren't that many of us (black folks) in this neck of the woods, so I really didn't think anything about it. However, when I told a few other people about it, they got really mad. What do you do when people make assumptions based on your race, religion, or gender in the workplace?