OK, I've checked my blog and apparently I am writing to myself. That's alright, introspection is a good thing.
Tonight I am going to write about my experience with racial discrimination at the suggestion of some of my friends. Let me first say I am white. What could I possibly relate you might ask?
I'll start from the beginnning. Back in 1971 I lived in a mid-sized Midwestern city and met my future husband at a community hospital. We were both students in a Nursing Aide and Orderly class there and decided we liked each other. By the way, he is not white, he is African-American. Since we were both young, healthy adults, we began to date.
Here's where it gets interesting; when our instructor got wind of our relationship, the s___ hit the fan. We were both counseled individually but were given vastly different messages! I was told that I was being very suggestive with the males in my class, so I was being placed in the newborn nursery to work (I was). I was to limit my contact with my then boyfriend and if we were at lunch in the cafeteria, we were forbidded to sit alone at a table. I was 19 years old, very shy and basically just sat there throughout the woman's blatantly racist ramblings.
My husband had a completely different exchange. First, he was told that they knew I was "pursuing" him and that I was being put on probabtion. He was not shy and inexpereinced and told the instructor that she was completely mistaken and that HE had pursued ME. Needless to say there was also some dialogue about racism and legal action. He was not told anything about being forbidden to sit alone with me or any other "restriction".
Why didn't I report that instructor? Was it my own racism? I can't answer that. What I can say is that we were married in 1972 and had 3 children and now have 2 grandchildren. We are both Registered Nurses, he has a BSN, I have an MSN. Where is that instructor (who happened to be an LPN)?
Good question....
