Stewart Curtrright,
Overland Park, KS
Prior to Jan 6th 2021, I was aware that occasionally my presence and appearance caused some people of color to be anxious. Post Jan 6th 2021 I have noticed that my presence definitely creates some anxiety for people of color, from Walgreens to Walmart, folks try not to make eye contact and if they are working the cash register they don’t say much if anything at all. It hurts my soul to know that just my appearance and presence causes people of color to be anxious. The incident that sticks in my mind the most was with an Uber driver. Im naturally curious about people but when I began to ask the young man about his country of origin based on his accent, and what faith tradition he was part of, he became extremely nervous to the point of his arms trembling on the steering wheel (which wasn’t safe for either of us). It troubles me, as someone who cares deeply for humanity, that now my very presence is enough to generate anxiety in some people groups.
