There’s been an email thread discussion among my friends concerning sexual racism. It’s reminded me of an experience I had when I was in highschool concerning race.
It’s funny how time always makes edits in your memories. The farther in the past events are, the more different they become. Lately I’ve been reminiscing about my high school years, since many of my former classmates are popping up on Facebook. I grew up in a town I consider “pretty white.” That is to say, people are generally Caucasian and there is a small, barely visible minority. It’s strange, since our town of 12,000 residents was home to one of the largest Islamic centers in North America, and is a suburb of what was later called one of the fastest growing cities in the country. I remember when I was in 7th grade, there were a few black students but they were juniors and seniors at that point. But I digress.
When I was growing up, a majority of the state had a single utility company supplying its power. Their headquarters was in our town, on a massive lot in a very long building. I never knew anyone that worked there, nor had I been in an office building that large before. I was so curious what was inside, especially in their computer room. I convinced a friend of mine to go on a tour with me.
We both went up to the front lobby in the middle of the building and introduced ourselves. We explained our curiosity and they agreed to give us a tour. They found someone to escort us through the building. We were walked though their office and got a tour of their data center. My career went down that path, so by now I’ve seen so many server rooms of that vintage the exact details no longer matter.
I think what struck me most was the number of African-Americans working there. I knew nearby Indianapolis was more racially mixed (though not exactly integrated), but I never imaged such a level of diversity in my home town. I’d like to think none of the feelings I had that day were out of hate or racism, that my recollection hasn’t been sugarcoated by later experiences and accumulated wisdom. Thinking back on it this morning, to me it was a mix of shock and curiosity. That was my first big wake-up call, that my home town was just a fraction of a fraction of what the world had to offer.
I later attended college in Indiana, and that was the next major culture shock to me. I definitely remember once making the mistake of thinking that someone from Taiwan was “Thai”. Embarassing, now. But can you blame a white boy from a white town?
