Last week I stopped by the H Street Country Club for a quick bite. I have been here a few times and although it sits in the middle of a predominantly Black neighborhood, the bar staff, servers and clientele tend to be majority white. Point of clarification, this is not in any way an indictment of the establishment, just a statement of facts.
As I was sitting at the bar, a Black man came in and stood beside me. While waiting for the bartender’s attention, I noticed a few things about him: he was middle-aged, had on broken glasses and his countenance said he didn’t plan on staying long. The bartender walked over and they shook hands. The man asked for the manager and then asked if any positions were available. The bartender said he didn’t know if any positions were open and the manager wouldn’t be in until the next day. It is the next exchange that garnered a visceral reaction from me.
Bartender: What kind of job are you looking for?
Black man: Kitchen work, food prep, dishwasher
My eyes filled with tears and some rolled down my cheek as the man left. I didn’t know why I was so overcome or why I had actually cried until a couple of days later…I cried because I was angry…damn angry!
What had the man dreamed of becoming? What had kept the man from achieving or reaching his dreams?
-
Had a sub-standard public education system failed him?
-
Had a dysfunctional family not encouraged and supported him?
-
Had he been a victim of the harshness of urban life…drugs, alcohol, incarceration?
-
Had a cycle of poverty been too strong to break?
To be fair I didn’t know the man and will probably never see him again. I do know, children don’t dream of being dishwashers.
So when I hear a
presidential candidate say poor children can be janitors...I get angry...damn angry! Why can't our children become what they dream...teachers, entrepreneurs, doctors, accountants, plumbers, inventors, bricklayers, architects, chefs or astronauts?
Shannon Mouton is a relationship marketing professional, with a passion for utilizing social technology for building business relationships, sharing information, networking and advancing the greater good. Her 20+ years of public speaking, marketing and community-building experiences have afforded her unique opportunities to foster communities where none existed, develop and launch innovative programming and bridge generational, economic and racial divides.
Shannon is a regular contributor to Women Grow Business and Discover Exceptionalism and has been featured on the Digital Sisterhood Network and American Express OPEN Forum.
