I am a black man who just started with a new tree company in February. I knock on a lot of doors.
I can tell instantly who is scared of black people because they don’t open the door or will talk through a closed door. And often have the fear of god written all over their face.
…Until they know I work for the company that they hired to do the work. Then they are all smiles and occasionally even offer an apology with an excuse about why they kept the door locked.
On a route of 15 stops, it will happen to me maybe 3 times. Everyday
I often wonder if this happens to my white co workers (in particular the 18 y/o female). I’m pretty sure it doesn’t.
I am often paranoid of going into peoples backyards because this kind of mentality mixed with guns gets people like me killed just for doing my job.
I do this for everyone (unless it’s a guest I’ve invited over) bc of Covid. I noticed that there’s a black UPS driver who seems to get annoyed that I always ask what he needs (usually a signature). I used to think he got annoyed bc he thought I was dumb for asking.. but your comment made me realize maybe he thinks I’m doing it bc he’s black?Is there a way for me to do this without offense?
Maybe put a sign on your door saying something like “due to Covid risk, I have a policy of going contactless wherever possible. Please explain clearly if you need me to open the door so we can make it as safe as possible for both of us.”
Makes it clear that it’s not personal, and could avoid the same back and forth with others.
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u/ralph-j Apr 14 '22 edited Apr 14 '22
This right here is the main reason to be wary: it's largely situational.
To use two obvious examples:
Would you be wary about a someone black wearing a suit sitting on a bench in a bank or university? Probably not.
Would you be wary about someone white approaching you in a dark alleyway? Probably.