Daniel Martin, Jr.
Mayfield, PA.
In 2007, I was working in a bakery. For whatever reason, I happened to be one of very few white people that worked there. The large majority of the employees were people of color. I had no problem with this as I had been exposed to many different types of people and many different ethnicities my entire life. I actually appreciate cultures that are different from my own, and I got along extremely well with all of my fellows workers. The owner and all members of the upper-management of this facility were white. During break time, it was not uncommon for some of the workers to complain about the job or about the conditions of our facility…..and rightfully so. We were overworked and underpaid and the building was old and dilapidated, barely passing health code standards. When referring to the owner or any member of management, my co-workers would frequently used the term “white people.” Example: “I can’t believe I’m still here working for these white people.” “When are these white people gonna give me the raise I deserve?” There were several instances where I would be present during these tirades. To be honest, I was never offended or put off by their statements. But there were quite a few times, when one of the workers who was using this terminology would notice my presence and become a bit embarrassed at the words they had used, as if I would be offended. It would be at this point that I would usually receive an apology, followed by the words, “We don’t consider you white anyway.” And again, although I was never offended, it struck me as odd that the term “white people” had, for some of my co-workers, become synonymous with “crooked employer” or “greedy boss.” These people were not racist. As I mentioned, we all got along great and I grew to love many of them. They never once mistreated me or directed any type of racially-charge insult my way. They didn’t dislike any one particular white person based solely on the fact that he or she was white. Nevertheless, when speaking of someone who they DID dislike, the fact that this person was white became the way he was to be identified and referred to. To this day, I’m not sure why this would happen this way.
