“Dear PoPville,
I live in the Forest Hills neighborhood. I’ve noticed something while walking my dog in the neighborhood. I’m a man of color with a larger dog (50/60 lbs) and I’ve noticed that when walking my sweet, friendly mutt down the street that white people go out of their way to cross the street or to avoid me entirely. At first I thought, hey maybe they think my dog isn’t friendly or maybe their dog isn’t friendly, so when approaching them, I’ll be sure to say “He’s very friendly,” but I’m almost always ignored or they say their dog isn’t nice. I wouldn’t second guess this but more often than not I notice that those same people allow their dog to meet and greet other dogs (often times bigger than mine) of white owners.
Today [yesterday], I felt was a more egregious moment. (more…)
