Qasim Rashid, Esq.Dec 26, 2022

Thread on a wild yet not uncommon exchange today. I share as an anecdote of how embedded racism is in our society & how close it's tied to economics

A white guy named "Bill" age ~60 says to, "Where are you *from* from?"

Me: [sigh] I'm from Pakistan. [I go back to my phone]

Bill: Pakistan? What do you do for a living?

Me: Civil rights lawyer

Bill: I'm a lawyer too! But I stay away from race & women stuff. Last thing I need is to be called racist or accused of sexual harassment

Me: Huh?

/1

Show threadQasim Rashid, Esq.Dec 26, 2022

Bill: So Pakistani? I'm a landlord too. Can I tell you a story about what my Indian tenant did to me?

Me: I don't need to kno—

Bill: So I raise her rent & she won't renew. So I tell her I have to bring in people to see the apt. But every time I'd bring a prospective tenant, she'd invite her Black friends to the apt.

Me: Uhh ok?

Bill: Don't you get it? No one wants to rent a place w/Black people around.

Me: Wait, I'm sorry, what?

Bill: Can you believe it? She did that on purpose!

Me:😳

/2

Show threadQasim Rashid, Esq.Dec 26, 2022

Me: Yeah, Bill. That's pretty racist. In fact, that's the definition of racism.

Bill: Oh no I'm not racist. The prospective tenants might be. But—

Me: You can probably stop talking. I'm good.

Bill: I need to pay my bills. Who cares if they're racist?

[He Kept Talking]

Bill: I can't be racist. I've dated Black women.

Me: Bill you should really stop. This dialogue doesn't need to go on.

Bill: But how can I convince you I'm not racist?

Me: You do not have to worry about me.

IN CLOSING

/3

Show threadQasim Rashid, Esq.Dec 26, 2022

4 lessons I want to point out:

First, he didn't see himself as racist b/c he "dated Black women"
•LESSON 1: Proximity to race isn't exemption from being racist

Second, he didn't mind racist tenants b/c it paid his bills
•LESSON 2: Financial power structures built on white supremacy perpetuate white supremacy

Third, he felt like he was the victim
•LESSON 3: Racists in power are used to privilege their entire lives, so equality feels like oppression

/4

Show threadQasim Rashid, Esq.Dec 26, 2022

Fourth, he desperately needed my validation & was upset I wouldn't offer it
•LESSON 4: It's not enough to be not racist, we must be anti-racist (Angela Davis)

Bill finally left feeling he'd been wronged & upset I wouldn't empathize.

This was an anecdote—but imagine this shameless racism played out across 50 states, hundreds of years, millions of housing units? That's systemic.

The fight for justice & equal access is ongoing. Stay active, stay engaged, and always speak truth & justice.

5/5

Show threadRoberta Millstein 🌎🌱🐩🏊🏼‍♀Dec 26, 2022
@QasimRashid Also, 5, that he asked you where you are from from (where is he from from??) and then 6, proceeded to tell you a story about an Indian tenant. (wtf?) Also 7 that he thinks he can stay away from stuff about race and gender in his work. Sorry, also 8 that it couldn't possibly just be that the tenant had friends who are Black. What a piece of work.
Show threadMariDec 27, 2022
@cepaea @QasimRashid
What may seem like a random question/observation, but I would ask someone, 'where they're from', if they had a different accent. Growing up in brooklyn & having italian immigrant father & grandparents I was always curious about accents & countries people are from. However, skin color would never indicate a person was from somewhere else, unless they also had a distinctive New York accent & we met in shawano Wisconsin.
Show threadRoberta Millstein 🌎🌱🐩🏊🏼‍♀Dec 27, 2022

@Mari311 @QasimRashid

I am curious if you have ever been asked this question while you are in Brooklyn.

Show threadMariDec 27, 2022
@cepaea @QasimRashid
Well, I'm a brooklyn girl & have lived in WI, MO, & CA & I'm always nailed for being a new Yorker, many have picked up the Brooklyn in me. No one in Brooklyn ever asked me where I'm from.
Does that answer your question?
Show threadRoberta Millstein 🌎🌱🐩🏊🏼‍♀Dec 27, 2022
@Mari311 @QasimRashid Yeah, pretty much. I guess it depends on the situation. Some people are asked this question repeatedly and it gets old over the years, because it isn't just curiosity but rather identifying someone as "other," as "not from here." So if one is able to live in a place where their accent is the norm, *they* are also the norm and can freely ask about those "others." They may just be curious, as you are, but collectively those requests become wearing... (continued...)
Show threadMariDec 27, 2022
@cepaea @QasimRashid
I definitely get what your saying & I understand how it can be annoying. My curiosity is usually followed up with a friendly discussion. Usually me sharing about my curiosity, my & country specific exchange.
Show threadMariDec 27, 2022
@cepaea @QasimRashid
(Cont)
My job as a social worker in the bronx also allowed me to use this curiosity to engage clients who were culturally different by acknowledging our differences & asking them to help me understand so I can help them. I was a medical social worker & it is so important to understand their culture in relation to health & illness if you want to be helpful.
I'm just thinking outloud, I guess what started as a childhood curiosity ended up being a critical part of my career.
Show threadJohanna's Garden
@Mari311 @cepaea @QasimRashid Explaining that you are curious and that it will help you understand them by understanding their culture allows a more serious assessing of sincerity. And things like how a family treats a fever or cough, what they expect, don't expect, trust or don't trust from medical workers helps you do your job/prevent doctors and nurses from unnecessarily scaring or offending. So it is a very different situation.
Dec 27, 2022 at 7:13pmWeb