Page 5 - Reflections on the Danger of a Single Story

For generations minority women have been typecast as domestic workers, childcare providers, and cooks in various forms of media. While art can imitate life, it sometimes romanticizes the harsh realities of a group’s experience. To make it seem as if these jobs would be all that a group of people would aspire to without acknowledging the repressive system that wouldn’t allow for other opportunities is deceiving and shameful.
Several years ago, my partner and I moved into the Stuy-Town apartment complex in the Lower East Side. It was a beautiful oasis. It was a complex full of trees and squirrels, families, medical personnel, playgrounds, and life. It was also the place where I first experienced the effects of the single story that black women could only be nannies, domestic workers, and/or home health aides. To my dismay throughout my time at Stuy-Town I was seen and addressed as if I was a domestic worker or home heath aide. I experienced this mentality in various locations around the property and even in my own home! While cleaning the apartment one day the exterminator came by for a scheduled visit. Since I was in the living room cleaning, I answered the door. My hair was wrapped with a scarf to protect it from the dust and I was wearing clothing that was suitable for such a task. Not long after hearing the doorbell, my Caucasian partner stepped into the living room and after introductions began asking the exterminator questions. Since they were talking I kept on cleaning. However, after a few minutes, I heard the exterminator ask my partner, “How much longer is she going to take?” I was stunned and perhaps some might say that I misinterpreted the question, but not knowing the events that lead up to this and the way he ignored me once he saw my partner they wouldn’t understand. After hearing this question, I looked him squarely in the eye and very aggressively I responded, “As long as it takes to clean my own house!”
Needless to say he was very apologetic and kept insisting that he didn’t mean any disrespect blah, blah, blah.... but I was just fed up. I couldn’t perform simple tasks without it being seen in another light. I have frequently received compliments on my folding abilities, but in Stuy-Town, I was asked how much would I charge for folding shirts and doing laundry. On another occasion, while trying to be a Good Samaritan I was asked by a little old lady “who was I here to help?” After a playful response of “you” she clarified her question by saying “who are you here to take care of/work for?” Without answering the question, I held the door and told her to have a good day. On another occasion, my partner was approached and was asked how much I charged him to clean and do laundry! While I would like to say that only Caucasians were the only ones who saw me in this light, I can’t. One morning on my way to work I was in the elevator taking the garbage downstairs when a Latino porter came onto the elevator and started up a conversation about how hard it is for us to do our jobs and how we have to start early otherwise you get stuck doing stuff all day. After such interactions, I can say with certainty that the dangers of a single story can rob people of their joy and dignity. The comfort and/or power that come from holding a distorted perception of others is demeaning and selfish. As educators it is imperative to share this concept with students because the negative effect it can have on a person can be devastating and demoralizing if internalized.
WENDY NATHANIEL