Last Friday, I suggested to my best friend that she and I should go to lunch at a small cafe in Abilene, Texas, so we could see what the hype was all about.
When we walked into the quaint house, the atmosphere of the restaurant changed.
My friend and I were stared at, whispered about, and made to feel as if we were unwelcome there.
It reminded me of the scene in "Remember the Titans" when the football player from California suggests to his African American teammates that they go out for dinner in one of the restaurants in the town. When the teammates walk into the restaurant, they are told they will not be served due to the color of their skin. Hurt, they leave the restaurant and project their anger, sadness, and hurt onto their white California teammate. The California teammate apologizes, appalled that segregation was still an issue post-military ban.
That day at lunch, I couldn't help but connect with the African American teammates in "Remember the Titans."
Though my friend and I were not denied service, the feelings of covert racism were still persistent. Though there were countless tables open in the front of the restaurant, my friend and I were seated in the back. And while she and I were talking, we noticed other patrons of the restaurant were staring at us.
She and I respectfully ordered, ate, and paid for our lunch, which we followed up with a selfie on the bench outside. For that lunch, she and I weren't in 2016, but something reminiscent of 1966.
I write this piece not to discourage people of color in Abilene not to eat at this cafe, but to state that this is still an obvious difference for people of color entering predominantly white spaces. I write this piece to say that there is still an unwelcoming atmosphere for people of color in the South.
After my friend and ate, we sat in the car shocked by the way we were treated. I write this piece to say even though we have a Black History Month, a black president, we still have a problem with race in America.
I only hope that we have this problem figured out before my little brother has to face the same thing.
