The Rising Within

Will tommorrow Ever Come

I am a 55 year old black woman and I feel it ever bit of it as I watched The Meghan Markle Interview I decided to chronicle some discriminatory events that have personally happened to me as a

Black woman.

I was 12 years old when it dawned on me that my skin color was frowned Upon. My mother was a secretary at this time she often practiced shorthand and she did our church brochure at home. We had an electric typewriter at home an I was allowed to practice on it at home.

I becameVery good at typing and I was enrolled in typing at my school I always

Had high grades at it because it was something I loved doing.

One day we had a typing assignment I typed my assignment as usual

And I turned it in. While I was sitting in class the teacher called me

Up to the front of the class with another student that was white

And said that my paper I turned in was the other students. She

Then took my paper and erased my name and put the students

Name on my paper. When I began to protest and cry stating

That was my paper I was sent to the principals office. My mother

Had to come up to the school and demand that my paper and

Grade be given back to me. I remember feelings of hurt that

Something could be taken away from me just because someone

Of another color wanted it.

Another incidence I remember is we lived more than a few miles

From the school we had to walk to school everyday. But all

My white friends who lived closer to the school got picked

Up by the school bus.

We were poor and we knew we did not have a lot but it never mattered

Because everyone else in our neighborhood was poor too. My motherAnd father were very smart hard working people. They impressed

Studying at home and we all excelled in our study’s. They never

discussed our color too much. I loved books I wanted to be a

A lawyer but my parents discouraged it because they said

It was too hard for a black person to be a lawyer. So I aspired

To be a secretary and worked in the secretarial pools for my

First jobs.

There were always differences made for the white women

That were not made for us such as attendance they called

In sick frequently I noticed nothing happened. But if a black

Women called in sick or late we were reprimanded or terminated.

We had to be 10 times better than they were to even be hired.

Then we did most of the work. We never questioned it that

Was just the way it was. When we ate lunch the blacks ate

With the blacks and the whites ate with the whites.

Another difference was the pay there was a big difference in

Pay for them and us and everybody knew it. If you would

Question why they made more than u it could lead to you

Being fired.

Fast forward 35 years it’s still basically the same I am

Now a nurse I see the same things going on that I saw

35 years ago only now u go to Human Resources and

File a report and they almost always come back to rule

In their favor when you complain your not being treated

Fairly. It feels as if it’s a game.

I still feel as though I cannot enjoy the same pleasures

As my white counterpart if she drives a Mercedes and has

A house it’s accepted but I do it I’m questioned as to how

I got it. I have learned not to be very vocal about

Things that upset me at work because I am just

Tired of fighting I just want to be able to retire.

I believe what Meghan Markle said about the Monarchy

Because the black women has been disrespected so

Blatantly in America why would it be any different

In the mother country. I feel that Meghan Markle is a

Hero of black women for calling them out.

It’s time for a change will tommorrow ever come.