So a teenage black boy at my job asks for a taxi number. I absentmindedly reel off a 333333 number to him. A few minutes later he walks out the door and seconds later walk backs in like "shit what the #@!* that mofo drove off..."
I was distracted browsing facebook (of course) so it took me a few seconds after my coworker started laughing for things to register...
and i was like "what..? what?"
and it clicked
..."the driver left?"
and he replies "yeah"...
I say to the boy "Oh maybe you should have taken that black hoodie off..."
My coworker goes "yeah right! I tried to catch a cab the other day and I was dressed sharp too!! Cab driver drove OFF! They don't like black people, you see me I dress nice all the time. He did not care! As soon as he saw I was black he was gone!"
My mouth agape. "You lying!"
He goes on to say "I already had the car door opened and everything, that cab driver turned around and was like no no no and next thing I knew he was gone!"
This whole time my co-worker is laughing relaying his story, but I know he's not making it up.
I on the other hand really I'm floored. I mean I've heard all the jokes about how a black man can't get a cab. Shoot I've even had difficulties finding cabs in the wee hours in Oaktown. Eight or more cab companies in a row have hung up on me when I rattle off a certain address.
But somehow I have been in this cocoon. I thought this is 2009. This is San Francisco... Somehow I just always thought it was a joke that the Funny Black Man sure banks on for laughs while he's on stage.
Somehow...it never made say "damn" with my head hung low.
Speaking of Black Men... Here's some photos from one Black man who's doing things. Suru is a clothing line from Baba Afolabi; he introduced us to it 20 days ago on October 2 in Downtown Oakland. Photos by Kola Shobo
Suru Introduced
das all,
N
1 comment:
Oh wow, that is crazy. I always heard those 'black men can't get a cab' stories too. Na wa!
Nice pictures, the girl in the second pic is gawjus!
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