NoPlate4Hate

We know that racism isn’t always blatant and may fall under the guise of ignorance. Often people carry within themselves an implicit bias which causes them to engage in prejudicial behavior. Growing up as the “raisin on a plate of oatmeal” I unknowingly became an ambassador of blackness (as did the few other brothers and sisters in my town). We were often the unwanted recipients of a borage of “Black questions” perpetuated by media stereotypes and hair touching. These questions were too often birthed from ignorance rather than growing out of a desire to understand the true beginning of our story; us before slavery. It seems that the mindset is that since slavery we, Black People, are always TRYING to obtain but never quite arriving. That there is something fundamentally flawed in us and therefore we cannot actually achieve. Fast forward, the same mindset exists. While working for a corporate company, I applied for several executive chef positions. With 15 years of experience, having attended a top culinary school, I was told at 35, I look a little young to be an executive chef although I "present well, speak well and with enough hard work and ass busting I can get there one day.” This is while standing next to my 23 year old executive chef who just finished culinary school. I was, then, asked to help this gentlemen because he had not had as much experience and could learn a lot from me. When I voiced my frustrations weeks later, I was told, “you need to be in his office everyday learning from him and asking how you can get better...or you can move on.” The lesson left here was that a White chef is allowed to have the position and learn on the job but a Black chef must be better than everyone else and be obedient to get the opportunity to be considered. Recently, someone left a cartoon of a Minstrel chef reading, “Wnt sum gumboo. I’s chef.” Initially, when I reached out to my superiors, one of whom is a black woman, everyone seemed furious at first. They assured me it would be handled and that the situation was passed onto to security. Some weeks later and nothing. No leads, no justice! As a result, I followed up with my superior who stated, ”I’m so sorry I forgot, you did ask me about it again last week.” With this, I emailed the picture, including the story, to the museum’s president with the caption “Black face art at the Met?” He simply handed it back to my superiors to handle. During this period, the general manager, an Austrian man, began approaching me in what seemed like written out phases he couldn’t follow. Phase 1: Sympathize with the victim. He attempted to compare my hostile work environment to his son having recently “come out”. The two cannot be compared. Apples and Oranges. I clearly do not have a safe space at work nor do I have a safe space in the world. His son revealed himself… I have been chased and called a “nigger and a porch monkey” I never had the opportunity to struggle with the decision to open myself up to scrutiny. I am not taking away from his son but my struggle should not be compared to his son. Phase 2: Shift the narrative. I was told I am the racist and was only trying use this moment to advance my career. Seeking justice for a harm made me opportunistic in his estimation. Phase 3: Make me feel like I went too far seeking justice. They attempted to shame me for pushing for some real action to be taken. As a result, I have said enough and have decide to make space for myself and others like me. I want to create a scholarship fund for the next generation of Black chefs. The goal is to educate, inspire and celebrate our cultural roots and find value in the parallels between them. We intend to give a fair advantage through education. Proceeds will be donated to the Black Culinary Alliance