Have you ever Experienced Racism or Discrimination?

There were myself and two brothers who attended catholic school in south philadelphia, the only family of color in this school, if they caught us coming in they would hold us so we would get a detention inorder for them and their parents to chase us with brooms and whatever else they could find to the boarder of our neighborhood, it was frightening, and awful to be that young and experiance it, when i caught pnumonia and passed out in the snow, an albino gentle man waited until the streets were clear of people, he got my address from my book bag picked me up and carried me home, but can you all imagine the amount of people that left me there and walked over and around me and yet not one of them reported it? i was a block from school, i loved school so i did'nt let on to my mother that i was sick. the straw that broke the camels back was my younger brother who is a year under me is dark, we lost our father the first week then our grandmother the following to a nasty car accident, my mother told the school of this we went to the funerals, preparations required a day or two off, when we returned back it was with notes as well, my older brother and i was called to the office., when we arrived my younger brother was upset and on her desk was ground black pepper, whole pepper in a grinder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and crushed red peppers, she was applying a mixture of these to my brothers mouth and ordering him to tell the truth about the funerals which would in all actuality would have been a lie then she would have punished him for that! I was frightened but had enough i requested a phone call to my mother, at first i was refused it but when my older brother threatened we were leaving and had nothing to lose it was granted, i wish i could have put my mothers bravado in a picture frame, by the time she was done with them for hurting her child, sevral hundred hail mary's could'nt save their souls, and that was the last we saw of Our Lady Of Mt Caramel., sometime later, my mother moved us from Philadelphia, for better.

My personal complaint is with beards. I have worked in Management positions for all my life, most of the positions I have held, I did not apply for; I was usually asked to come to a company because of my reputation as effective management employee. I always made keeping my beard part of my Management contracts.
A few years ago, after a long career with a corporation, I was downsized out of a job... This really didn't bother me much, actually I volunteered for it. Then I went out to find a new job, great glowing resume' in hand I applied to a number of companies and received a number of interviews and even some offers... However everybody seems to have a no beards policy... at one group interview session I glanced around the room noticing that my fellow competitors in their new suits, clean shaven and smelling of aftershave..
I felt like I was at an Amway convention. I watched as the interviewers called on them one at a time, each interview taking ten to fifteen minutes. When it came my turn I was given a short curt interview of less than two minutes.
The interviewer informed me that they had policies for drug testing, against cigarette smokers (I Don't smoke) visible tattoos (I have none) and beards would I be willing to shave mine?
I said yes but questioned how or why that affects one's ability to do the job?
I was sent on my way with out finishing the interview... They called me...and wasted two hours of my time.

I have worked in Management jobs for all my adult life, I have always worn a beard, it has never interfered in my job performance. Nature put hair on my face...
Several religions require beards of their male members. My beard does not effect the quality of work I produce, people respect me because I know what I am doing. I think people should be judged in their work by performance not looks, not because they got a little crazy and had their arms tattooed when they were a teenager.
The reason appearance plays a massive role in business is because people are used to it playing that role.

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