I went to the gas station to buy a couple necessities. I walk by necessity as I don't own a car. Walking down the street from my apartment building, I pass a corner surrounded by a variety of businesses (art galleries, coffee shops, restaurants, etc), then I pass renovated Victorian homes with gorgeous yards, a boarded up building, and row house-type apartments. The houses are occupied mostly, not entirely, by white couples and families while the apartments tend to be occupied by black families. There are also a lot of hipsters in the neighborhood, but I believe they live as roommates in nearby houses.
I got to the gas station parking lot, and a man spotted me and immediately headed towards me. I must have looked taken aback because he was sort of apologetic. He's like, I don't mean any harm. I just moved here and some of the neighborhoods don't look very safe. I saw a white woman walking alone, and I thought "That's a good sign." What are the neighborhoods like here? Are they mixed?
OK, I thought. Do I tell the story of gentrification, or do I tell the story of "urban renewal"?
I was like, yeah, they're mixed. He's like, I know I'm not white. Then he said something about the racialized state of society in North Carolina, where he's from. I was like, "Well, I hope we can overcome seeing class in a racialized way. In this neighborhood it is pretty hard to judge by color. I feel safe here, though there are some neighborhoods nearby that have serious issues."
He was appreciative.
Talk about being put on the spot. But I am glad I had the opportunity to break through someone's stereotype about color's connection to "safe neighborhoods."
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