(Repost)
Inspired by true events…
Montreal, 1963.
“Sorry, we do have apartments for rent but we can’t risk having other tenants move out if you move in.”
I stood there with the baby sleeping in my arms while my other son peeked out from behind my skirt. He gave the middle-aged woman the same blank look that I was giving her. My husband was registering at the university so we were on our own to apartment hunt that day. It was cold and the excitement of witnessing my first snowfall was long gone.
This was the third visit we had made in response to For Rent ads and it would be the third time we were turned away. It hadn’t dawned on me to warn landlords that we were Black but I guess that I should have – it would have saved my time and my little one’s feet in this eye-opening cold.
Three times was not a charm.
Seeing the look of despair on my face, the woman tried to be helpful.
“Why don’t you try the building across the street, dear? They always have availability. If they take dogs and Jews, they’ll probably take you. Merry Christmas!”
And with that, the woman quietly shut her door.
©2017 Marquessa Matthews. All Rights Reserved.
Really heartbreaking. That last line is effective, so awful.
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It was 1963…
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Doesn’t matter the time, still unacceptable in that time even though it was generally accepted as okay.
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You are totally correct….
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Dear God. Abominable.
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Those were the days!
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Actually, my friend just faced this not too long ago. She was rejected several times because she was Black! She will come to visit an apartment that they will say, 5 min earlier, that it was available, and when she will get there, they will not even let her see the apartment, claiming that somebody had just rented it! So those were not the days… these are still the days!
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Sorry to hear that. Your friend should record the incidents and take them to court…
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Short, yet powerful and enough rawness.
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Thanks for reading!
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Man’s inhumanity to man…and it lives on. It’s just more polite and unspoken.
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Too true. Sometimes its better when its said out loud. At least you know where you stand.
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Exactly! “The Devil you know…”
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Wow! It’s hard to imagine what some people endure(d). We know what occurred in those times, but how could one woman look at another with her two children and turn them away? With such harsh words!
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It was all a matter of business…
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‘of course…
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This is so sad
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Yes, and based on a real quote. Thanks for reading!
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Unfortunately it’s not just 1963 or Montreal or skin colour. I’ve had some bad experiences just because of my foreign accent in the generally lovely and friendly Ireland. Not a lot, mind you but still hurt nonetheless.
BTW I’ve shared your blog with a liebster award, hope you’ll like the company and accept the nomination 😉 https://musicfanandrea.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/liebster-award-check-out-these-great-blogs/
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Prejudice always hurts…Thanks for the award thought!
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You’re welcome. You’re right, no matter what type of prejudice it is, it hurts. If only we were taught not to do it.
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Nowadays it’s probably illegal to behave in such a way. This post reminds me of a similar experience in the form of a poem by Nigerian Nobel prize winning poet Wole Soyinka when he was a student in the UK. My daughter is in the UK now as a student and we like that first she got a Sri Lankan boyfriend and now a half Chinese one. We raised her to be broad-minded.
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That is wonderful!
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There’s something really captivating about historical literature, whether fiction or not. I love it. And this little diamond that you have, touched me. Inspired me to want to write. Thank you! 🙂
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Thanks. This was my parents experience when they first moved to Canada. I felt that it was a short but powerful piece of truth.
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It is. Fantastic writing. ❤
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Reblogged this on Simply Marquessa and commented:
My planned #SuperSoulSunday wasn’t matching my mood so I’m reblogging one of my Shades of Black pieces – the piece is short, the message subtle but the point is clear.
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I agree, it still lives on, but in a more settle way… I met a Butcher in Cornwall who refused to sell me bones for my dogs because of my French accent – and Im white. He clearly gave me the look “we don’t want your lot around here” and refused to serve me. There are hardly any black people in that part of the country. It’s very sad for them. They want to protect their precious cultural identity but they lack of the depth and richness of multiculturalism, what a shame. They don’t know it but they are missing out so much! .
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Yes they are missing out!
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*sigh* I don’t even know what to say. Since I moved to the United States, issues of race have become more real to me than ever before. It’s like a slap in the face! This is a spectacular piece you wrote ❤
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Thanks so much!
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Reblogged this on The Melodramatic Confessions of Carla Louise and commented:
#BlackLivesMatter
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This makes me mad on so many levels!
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Don’t be…those experiences make people stronger!
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My mama told me when she arrived in the UK the saying was “no dogs, no Irish and no blacks” this was the sign displayed! On shop doors and public places. Heart breaking.
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Now THAT was bold!!!😨
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In India, many landlords dont rent out to young bachelors – well written and hard hitting
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Really? Why is that?
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I think it’s because the landlords remember how they were as boys 😀 Over here the belief is that the best way to control a boy is to get him married – the wife will make him toe the line. And if he still is unmanageable well then they can blame the girl!
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Oh my! 🙄
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Pingback: “If They Take Dogs and Jews, They’ll Probably Take You…” #racism #black — Simply Marquessa | Matthews' Blog
So quick, but it’s like a punch in the gut.
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Like a double punch!😐
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Pingback: Have to reblog as a great example of microfiction – Paper Beats World
Thanks for the reblog Nicole!
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Wow! I’m speechless, though I shouldn’t be.
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Based on true words, true incident…
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Dear God. 1963 or not. This makes me feel sad, disgusted and angry.
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I appologize, on behalf of too many of “my people”… None of my family would have reacted this way, but I know that this happened and probably still happens to too many black people… I felt bad reading your story, though I don’t relate to these people’s way of thinking….
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It still happens today but with unspoken words.
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P.S. I can’t “like” this….
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I know…I know…its based on my parents true experience
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Funny story that shouldn’t be funny but is. Leaves readers thinking. Well-written!
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Yeah, not funny but funny in a sick way..
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Wow. It’s unbelievable how many incredibly thoughtless and stupid people live in this world. I’m Jewish, so that last line especially got under my skin.
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Definitely harsh.
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It makes me so mad that you have had to deal with that kind of crap. It’s beyond harsh. I imagine that you have been exposed to worse. It’s difficult for me to comprehend.
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My folks have lots of stories like this unfortunately.
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I’m sure they do. I’m disgusted with humanity at times.
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This outrages me. I really don’t “like” it but I will check it anyway. 😦
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I know its hard to “like” it…
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😦
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This broke my heart. The way you wrote this with covert pain…is astounding. I do remember a story recently(this year) on the news, about a mixed race couple who was denied the right to fill out an application for a place, simply because the man was black- this was in Canada. It is very sad that we as human beings still go through this. Very sad.
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Yes I heard about that case also. Horrible
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The fact that she ends “If they take dogs and Jews…” with Merry Christmas… What’s so merry about it? You basically just called me a dog. But then is that really a surprise? They called us apes too. Quite frankly, I’m sick of being called an animal, especially given the savagery of the ones who usually say it. Terrible.
The fact that some people still think this way really just . . . ugh, I have no words. But I try not to be offended. You can’t change people’s hearts, even if they’re as cold and as black as they come (the irony).
I just hold onto the hope that there are more good people in the world that I can gravitate to, and that God will have the final say when it’s all finished.
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I hear you. We still hear crazy sh*t in the news and media but what can you do but pity those fools?
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Racial prejudice is evil that must be spoken up against. Thanks for shining the light on it once more.
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Thanks for reading!
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“Merry Christmas” – no place at the Inn, again. Couldn’t “like” this, but I thank you for telling your story. You are making a difference. Working for change.
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Thanks Rebecca!
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