Things are tough for you just because you do not pretend to be something other than who you are, and owning your identity is cruel. This is the story of a Hispanic man from Colorado. Anthony, who has faced discrimination in the society he lives in, has shared powerful accounts of the racism he has had to go through multiple times.
All of this started when Anthony and his brother were watching a football game, supporting opponents. Although it is normal and everyone in the audience should be respected, things got worse when their team started winning. Racial slurs were aggressively said, and Anthony and his brother were screamed at and told to go back to where they came from. It was not just the anger for the game being lost, but the differences embedded by society in the hearts and minds of people. Hundreds of people were there to support the teams and observed everything that was happening, but not a single person stood up in their support. Silence, at times, is the most powerful scream. But this was not the first time this had happened; Anthony was used to going through such events in his life now.
Anthony used to coach baseball games; another incident happened on the baseball field. It was a Saturday morning, and Anthony was there doing his job when a man who was furious about the music played before the game started came to Anthony and started screaming. Not only this, he spat on his face! Still, he had to let it go as he shared the incident with people around him, and even his friends told him to leave the matter. An advice he was already familiar with.
Extra screening at the airport for minorities and people with different racial backgrounds is also another normalized act. While on a trip to Paris with his white friends, it was time to board the plane, and in just a few minutes, Anthony’s friends had boarded for him. His name was highlighted on the crew’s list, which meant extra screening. After the trip, when they returned, he was again separated from his friends at the customs area and waited for hours. Out of curiosity and frustration, when he asked why all this happened, the officer did not hesitate and told him it was because of his last name. The people who were waiting in lines and were treated differently were all people of color. How does being of color differentiate you from how you should be treated?
The discrimination does not end here.
One of the times Anthony felt bad was when he had set up a moving date into his new apartment after a long process. He later received an email stating he had to move out because of a criminal record. It turned out it was not about him but another man with the same first name who belonged to Texas. How could they not differentiate between the name, faces, and location? Is it an acceptable mistake? Even after clearing out all the misconceptions, he was still not allowed to move in, and he lost the apartment, i.e., his new home, and the money he had paid for that, too, without any valid reason.
There were multiple more experiences, but he always remained silent as he knew no one around would stand up for him, although it should not be about the race, but for just another human being treated unjustly. Even the people around him taught him not to use the race card. He just silently prays that someday, it will no longer be about the color of his skin or name.
He shared his story to spread awareness about how people of different skin colors or races are not even allowed to live normal, happy lives. One day, he hopes to see a difference in ‘His America.’
