This is about to be a long vent…So I’m at work taking care of a customer (a young black woman) who had just got some autobody work done and was picking up her car. As I am walking her to the back lot, she and her friend who are walking behind me begin to make comments about my hair and skin color ( My locs are burgundy) to each other, literally behind my back. Here’s how the conversation went:
Customer: Girl I hate when black people, especially REAL DARK BLACK MF’s try to wear hair colors they know they shouldn’t wear. Unless it’s a sexy dark man.
(both laugh)
Friend: Girl yeah, people be doing too much. They need to know Everybody can’t rock different colors. (Both laugh again) This aint nothing new. I have been gettting cracked on because of my skin tone since I was a kid, but in 2017 people still do that? Now the REAL me would have went clean off, and told them I can’t stand when black people wear hair that isn’t their texture (since they both had wack, raggedy weaves one of which was a bun that was a brighter shade of red than mine), but I really need this job right now, (I’ve only been there a month) and the last thing I need is to lose it over sombody who was obviously taking their insecurities out on me, so instead, I remained professional, and politely finished getting them to their vehicle. I get compliments on my hair all the time, so I ain’t worried about that. I guess I’m just venting right now because I really hate that we as black women can’t just be great with one another. Why is that? I did nothing to her but show her excellent customer service. I’m mad because I couldn’t express myself the way I wanted to for fear of losing a job. The struggle…

By:Lakeesha KoKo-Afua Kweli