Fredrick Clemmons
Brentwood, TN
When I grew up I heard a lot of statements that suggested White people did not want to hire Blacks. But as I took a closer look, these White people also did not want to be seen as prejudice, so they would hire a few Blacks in order to appease their conscious. In other words, White people were going to hire a few Blacks, but only the most qualified among the pool. So I learned at an early age that I was not competing against the Whites, but only against the Blacks – and if I were the most qualified, most well dressed and most articulate of the Black candidates – I would get the job. Well, it worked! This shift in thinking allowed me to hobnob in groups I would have otherwise thought out of my reach. Anyway, that was about 40 years ago and things have changed a lot. I now believe I can compete with any Race and I live my life with a perception of equal footing. But it is interesting that this thought came back to me after all these years.
