Enough Is Enough, Discrimination & Reverse Discrimination Are Both Wrong & Not Acceptable. One Is Not Any Better Than The Other. Stop It Ok.

I attempted to write this 2 prior times and the timing just was not right. I would start and then delete it. I was raised and lived in the Northeastern part of the USA for about 50 years. I never experienced reverse discrimination until I moved to the southern part of the USA. I mean I was at the hands of a black person that gave me a taste of discrimination being placed upon me. I remember being in an interview for a well known telephone company in the south. I actually had a sort of connection/contact prior to me going on this particular interview. I dressed in a professional manner for the interview. That is how I was raised and trained to dress when interviewing for a job. I actually drove about 1.5 hours away to interview and I would have moved to that area if the job was offered to me.
I arrive at an appropriate time ahead of the interview and waited patiently to be called for the interview. I had my portfolio with me along with my resume, letters of reference, etc. I am called and I am walking back to the interview office with a white woman and just before I get to the office a young black woman cut her off and re-directed me to the office where she was conducting interviews. Why did I even allow that to happen to me? I should have spoke up and said in a kind manner that lady was directing me to interview with her. I used professionalism and courtesy and followed the black woman into her office to interview me. She was younger than me and in my professional opinion she was not professionally dressed especially as a person conducting interviews. Oddly enough, I remember she was wearing a green sheer material top with a green bra underneath it how could you not notice the lack of modesty in dress? I went past that and let it go and proceeded to answer questions. Very few questions were in regard to my professional experience and how it pertained to the actual job I was interviewing for. Somehow the questions were re-directed to this odd topic. She noticed that I worked at a local family owned, popular gathering place in a certain community. I suppose it was a predominantly white community. I found this so odd and I was perplexed and shocked when she asked me if anyone can come to that establishment. I knew what she was asking me, can black people also come to this establishment? I told you I was shocked that I was even being asked that question in an interview for an inside sales position with a telephone company. Yes, I have inside/outside sales experience and what does that have to do with this position I was interviewing for? Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and I responded with a sort of perplexed look on my face and with a kindly manner, "That anyone is welcome there." I think she got the answer she was indirectly fishing for ( I sensed she wanted to know if she would be welcome there) with that response and she did not stay on that trail of questioning. So she proceeds to another trail of questions. She saw that I worked for Estee Lauder at one time in my career. Do you know she actually was asking me how to know if the foundation you are wearing is the correct color and how do you check for the right color match. I graciously answered the question of what I did when I worked at the cosmetic counter to match a foundation for a customer (regardless of there skin color) I matched the color that best suited the persons skin tone. The way I was trained by Estee Lauder.  Then she goes on to tell me how her daughter was sick with teething and we talked about possible remedies I used with my children when they were young and teething. When I left that interview I knew I was set up to not get a proper interview at all and my connection did not seem to even matter. As you know I did not get the job. I am excellent on the phone, people sense that I am sincere and I have a true heart to help them.
Another interview in which I was highly qualified on paper so to speak and this time I am at the hands of a white woman who may have been the regional person and a black man that may have been more of the local management. I could have done that job because I know how my children loved when the book fairs came around at school. It is just as well that I did not get hired for that company because I heard down the road sometime they began adding Harry Potter books to the book selection offered to children. I know me and I would not have continued to work with an organization that supplies children with books of that nature.

When I interviewed with this company I had just gone through a trying time in my life in regard to my credit and financial. I was told there would be a background check that needed to be done if I got the job. I got a bit apprehensive with that thought and would my credit cause me to not get the job. Please know I brought my credit up and it is fine. So I began to share without being asked to explain I began to share what happened in my life because I wanted to know if that type of background check would impede me from getting the job. That is when the man got this smirk on his face as I humbled myself to share what I just went through. Now that I am looking back on this, maybe the man was not smirking like I thought but could it have been a nervous look on his face. Or an uncomfortable look  because he may have been a bit uncomfortable with me sharing my heart? The lady did try to help at that point and gave further assistance to me to assure me it was not a big background check, more of a standard type. This was for a well known book supplier of school book fairs held in grade schools, if I said the name you would recognize it. I believe it was an inside sales job also or a scheduler for book fairs. I am sharing these stories because there is a reason behind this.

Those two opportunities were in one southern state. I also experienced this in a slightly different way in the current state in which I reside in now. What is it about southern states and discrimination? I was raised to not look at a persons skin color but the person themselves/their heart. When I lived in the Northeast I attended a multi- cultural; multi-racial, multi-generational, interdenominational church which I had some very dear friends that were not all white. We were just friends. We would gather at a persons home after church on some Sunday afternoons and we would have a potluck type of meal and do you know what we did? We worshipped the Lord right were we gathered and shared the Gospel. It had nothing to do with the color of a persons skin at all. It had to do with hearts connected with the love of Jesus in our hearts. I was not raised with hatred in my heart against a person because of their skin tone.
So, since I moved from the northeast I have been called a "Northerner" and a "Yankee." Guess what? I do not qualify for either title because my family did not even emigrate here during the time of the Civil War. They were still back in the old country tending to sheep and farming. Why do people tend to stereotype others? It is wrong. I believe that there is no place for discrimination. I have very wise children. It was almost 2 years ago they came to visit me for my 60th birthday. We went to a church service in a park type of setting and then to brunch afterward that Sunday. Somehow this conversation came up and boy did I get a earful from them. It was in a respectful manner and they shared with me the flip side of this story. You are never too old to receive wisdom from your children. The question I propose is your heart ready to receive it? This I how my daughter explained it to me, it went something like this...…. Mom you experienced reverse discrimination a few times in your life try to put yourself is a black persons shoes. They have to deal with this all the days of their life. Since you know how it feels then you should have empathy for them because they probably deal with it much more than you did or will ever deal with. I defended myself a bit at first then I let my guard down and understood what now both of my children were saying to their mom. I caught the wisdom when I opened my heart up to receive it. It was a choice I made that day.
I hope my personal experience shed some light on this subject. I have been there and discrimination is not acceptable on either side of the table and it needs to stop. We are all made in the image of God. I have heard this said before, when we bleed we all bleed the same color of blood, red. Isn't that interesting the color of the very blood Jesus shed on the cross so we could chose to accept Him into our hear.t So we ALL will be with Him for all eternity in heaven. Be "Jesus" minded and not skin-color minded ok.
I am reminded of this by a wise person who said this recently, "Be slow to speak and quick to listen!"
Final thought, maybe just maybe I was not suppose to work for either of these organizations. If I was hired by either one of them I may not have accepted the job that led me to the state where I reside.