"Yo T Dawg, what up yo?" "How you living homie?" "Word up son!" "You feel me?" All phrases coming from my co-worker who happens to be white. The first time Mr. Keenan spoke such terms to me, I didn't let it bother me; in fact I completely ignored it. The second time, I glared at him with that "are you serious?" look on my face. I noticed that he does not talk to anyone else in the office like this. However, he makes it a point to say something "ethnic" every time he speaks to me. He informed me that he was just trying to be "down". I've had to set a few people straight here in my office on multiple occasions for this same crap. There are 4 other people in my cubicle group, and as an inside joke we call one another dawg. We have always done this and we hardly use each other's real names. This is something that is mutual, between co-workers/friends. There have been people to come up to me that don't know me on that level to throw up the peace sign and say "what up T dawg?" Please beat it, you don't know me like that. Just because you hear someone else call me that does not give you the right to do so as well. I have a very close friend that call me "bitch" as a term of endearment, but I bet not hear anyone else call me that. Stay in your place; especially in your place as a mere co-worker.






Working in a company that you can count the number of black people using one hand, its truly easy to realize just how racist people are. What they really think of your race. Too many times I've been asked, "Tamica, why do black people put fake hair in their heads?" "Tamica, why do black people give their children such long names?" "Tamica, why do black people put those gold teeth in their mouth?" "Tamica, why do black people put those big shiny rims on their cars?" I DON'T KNOW! I am not Al Sharpton! Please beat it. Every time they want to know a name of the latest rap song, or which black rapper recently went to prison, they ask me. If at anytime you have to start a sentence with, "I hope this isn't offensive…" DO NOT SAY IT! 99% of the time, it will be offensive. I'm sick of these people (and yes I said these people) mistaking me for ALL of Black America.

So I had to set Mr. K straight today when he came up to my desk to bring me invoices. He greeted me with "Yo, yo what up T?" I kindly asked him to refrain from speaking to me in that manner and speak to me just as he speaks to everyone else in this office. I am no exception, because you expect me to "feel you" because of my skin color. Slit your wrist dude. That shit pissed me off. Now if I stepped foot in this office acting they way they expect me to ask, I'd be fired. My mother and I have both been labeled as "weird" because we don’t act like "normal black people". I'm not sure exactly what they expect from me, my mother and any other black person who works here, but they really need to check themselves.

Mr. K, Mrs. H or Mrs. D has one more time to approach me with this bullshit and I'm going to upper management. I believe with the new policies being enforced here they need to add one more.