Yet Another White Girl Playing Racist ‘Frogger’ With Me

Yeah… so… that just happened. There I was walking down the sidewalk (with a bag of groceries in each hand) on the opposite side of the street as some random White girl who pivoted on a dime when she saw me at the corner crosswalk, coming over to her side.

Now, even though she and I were the only pedestrians at the time, it was broad daylight, busy traffic (motorists), and NO reasonable person could think there was anything untoward afoot. Yet, she quickly darted into oncoming traffic in both directions to avoid being on the same side of the street as I.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence that she jaywalked into a stream of cars right at the time that our paths nearly crossed? Yeah, no. As I walked away, I stopped and looked back to see her return to the original side of the street she was on before I crossed.

Her motives could have been any one or more of a million, but since this isn’t the first or last time a ‘White damsel’ has played racist ‘Frogger’ with me–be it in a grocery store aisle, elevator, sidewalk, or parking lot, etc–I’m going to go with good ol’ implicit racism.

I’m sure these women would gasp and clutch their pearls if I suggested racism played any part in them going full-on ‘Frogger’ when trying to avoid encountering a Black male stranger on the street or wherever. They may even have supporters who’ll accuse me of playing the proverbial “race card.” So, what. It is what it is.

To the woman who just pulled a ‘Frogger’ on me, I didn’t even notice you, until I heard the horn and tire screech of the car that unfortunately [only] nearly hit you. I wasn’t even headed your way, only crossing your path. Not that it matters.

You know what does matter? Black lives. Mine. Yours matters, also. It matters too much for you to nearly lose it because you allowed a conditioned fear of a perceived, projected threat create a real threat to your well-being. I’m being sardonic about my disappointment that you were only “nearly” hit–I would have been the first to rush to your aid if that car had hit you–but my snark is genuine. You don’t know me.

I only set out to go for a nice walk, pick up some fresh ingredients to cook a delicious, healthy dinner–yes, I’m wicked in the kitchen–enjoy the sunshine, and relax for the evening. Instead, here I am addressing ‘you,’ knowing you’ll probably never read this.

That’s cool, though. I just needed to get it off my chest, anyway. Who knows? Maybe some other ‘damsel’ might read this and not feel so froggy the next time they cross paths with ‘me.’ And with that… *inhale, exhale* I’m good. Peace. #dontBSyourself