Observations this morning on White Black Black White relations in Carrollton GA. I walked in to a predominantly white establishment this morning. I got in line for a biscuit and a Black American Man walked up beside me. The clerk on the register asked him what he wanted before she asked me. Now before you get your knickers in a knot finish reading this.
The Black American Man chastised the clerk on the register for ignoring me and politely but firmly stated, "You went around the man that was already standing here to offer to serve me, this is not Ferguson Missouri or Compton California." I snapped my head around him and said, "you go right ahead sir." He promptly replied back that he was going wait HIS turn. The Cashier then became rather short with me. The Black American Male said to me, "sir if you would like to go somewhere to eat breakfast, I will buy, I will not stand here and witness this type of attitude from this store." I told him that I was OK and I appreciated his generosity and offer.
By this time the Manager had been made aware of what was going on and quickly relieved the clerk/cashier from their dutys with the store/restaurant. The Black American Male then patted me on the shoulder and insisted that I go ahead. I placed my order and he followed suit. As I sat down at my table, he was getting his order and his eyes followed me to where I was sitting.
After retreiving his food he walks over to my table and APOLOGIZED for what happened even though he was totally innocent of any wrongs perpetrated by the cahiser. I assured him that it was OK and I thanked him for his integrity and offered him a chair. He smiled and thanked me and said that he was going to another table and wait for his family to catch up with him. Before departing to his own table he said this to me: "I am SO SICK OF ALL THIS BLACK WHITE CRAP THAT THESE YOUNG KIDS AND OTHERS ARE GETTING SUCKED IN TO BY THE MEDIA AND THE SO CALLED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES."
His family arrived in the middle of our discussion and he politely excused himself. A few seconds after being seated with his family a young Black American Child about 8 or 9 comes over to my table and offers me a bottle of organge juice since I did not have anything to drink with my biscuit. I politely refused saying that I had a drink in the car. He smiled a smile as big as Georgia itself and said, "Please take it, I don't like OJ from here and I see that you don't have anything to drink." I thanked him took it and as I finished it off, I realized that it was quite possibly the best tasting Orange Juice I have ever drunk. I walked by their table and thanked the young lad again. His mom spoke up and said, "He did all this on his own, he overheard his dad telling me about what happened and he wanted to do something nice for you."
As we conversed briefly about things family, the dad says out of the blue, "I am so sick of being called an African American, I AM AN AMERICAN THAT HAPPENS TO BE BLACK.!!!!! I smiled and said I feel the same way about being called a Native American. His eyes got wide and before anyone else could speak that young boy says, "are you a real Indian?" I smiled and said yes and like his dad I prefer to be labeled if labels are just absolutely necessary, An American. With that the Wife/Mother stands up and offers me a hug and with tears in her eyes, She echoed her husband saying, "None of this mess is necessary." "Mike Brown was neither a kid, a child or innocent." How does she know this you might ask? Well she read my thoughts and she said, when you leave and see this Nissan with Missouri license plates know that my home WAS in Ferguson. Dad offered me his hand and I gladly accepted it. I don't know if I will ever see this family again but, IF I do, I know that I have a new set of friends.Good people who happen to be Black Americans.