White matters

When I was in 6th grade and found out I had to wear glasses, I went into my room and cried. As an adolescent girl, I was sure they would doom me to a life as a nerd. There were stereotypes associated with wearing glasses back then and I was fearful about how others would view me.  Last week I heard a story about a young man who wears glasses because of being fearful of what might happen if he didn’t have them.

The young black teenager confessed to an adult who noticed that the youth sometimes took his glasses off and seemed to not need them.  The adult asked “why do you wear glasses?”  The youth replied, “Oh, the lenses in these glasses are clear and have no prescription.  I just wear them so when people look at me, they will be less likely to assume I’m a criminal.”

Stereotypes.  We all carry them.

Jon M. Chu made a great 5-minute film about first impressions and assumptions: Silent Beats

Check it out and check out the assumptions you carry – particularly when you pass a young black man on the street.