Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

 

 Some years ago, I worked as a city tax collector clerk.  The city tax collector retired from his job and I applied for the tax collector’s job.  I had ten years experience working for the city as the tax clerk and thought I had a good chance.  I received the job, not knowing the troubles that come with it.  That same year, it was time for election of the mayor and city council.  The people that were running for different offices, black and white, thought that I was being unfair, within my own race.  Some thought I did not know my job, which I was only following the rules of the state office for the election. This did not happen from the white elected officials but from the black.   After the election, I felt I was a victim of microinvalidation, because some of the elected officials stopped speaking, stopped shaking my hand, or coming in the office.   I was also demoted by the council, because a black lady said I did not need that job and I did not know I was doing, simply because she lost the race.  They did exactly what she request, but I stayed on as a clerk for five more years.  As I was leaving, all the elected officials that year came to me and apologized for their actions.     

From this I learned a whole lot.  First I learned not to trust the people you work for or with. Those are the people; backbiters that will make you want to be a racist against your own kind.