A young, Black, seemingly intelligent man walked into our office today, about ten minutes early for his interview. (He had sat in his car for about 45 minutes prior to walking in). I told him that the manager will be with him shortly. Another girl that is here from the corporate office looked at the young man as he walked into the office to talk to the manager about the job. She then looked at me and said, “He just looked wiped out! He should do a cartwheel or something! I mean, it’s a job! I would hire somebody if they seemed excited about it!” ***So, you are telling me that you would hire a fool that came in the office and broke out in a cartwheel?***
The young man stayed in the office for about twenty minutes. He calmly walked out, and I asked the manager after he left, “So how did it go with him?” She said, “He is too mellow for me. He has an extremely impressive resume though, and he is very intelligent!” She said this in a voice that let me know that she will not be hiring him.
So, let me get this right. He is a very well dressed young man, seems to be a gentleman and business minded, has a very impressive resume, (it has to be impressive, because you have spoken with this young man about three times over the phone), he has called in to see if the position was filled which shows that he is a go getter, he showed up very early, and walked in the office ten minutes early, but……he’s too mellow. Anybody else confused?
It’s funny how many people say that racism doesn’t exist, or that we are pulling the “race card” when we call it out or recognize it. It’s extremely obvious that this is a “racial thing.” I’m already the only African American in the office, so of course they don’t want another one, right? OF COURSE NOT!
When the girl said that she would hire somebody that seemed more excited about the job and did a cartwheel, it made my mind go right to “Black Face”. I guess she thinks that he should have come in with a dark face, white teeth and eyes, and did a “gud ol’ country dance to make huh der laff!” We already have to jump through enough hoops.
To my brother that came in for the job, I apologize for you having to wake up, get dressed, and come out early. You seem very nice, perfect for the job, and your resume is almost on the level with Barack Obama’s, but you are not eligible for the position. Don’t call them; they won’t call you.
