loganlee

Before I moved here, I did my homework. I discovered that Portland’s metro area was made up of about 3 to 5 percent African Americans. Was I shocked to discover this? Yes…and no. Yes, because this was America. Yes, because it was 2009. Yes, because it was 2009 in America! No, because out of the many other African Americans that I know, none of them had ever mentioned Portland, Oregon to me. I also wasn’t shocked because, as climate goes, it wasn’t one of those hot cities that African Americans supposedly migrate to. Not the Atlantas, Miamis, nor the Dallases. People who know me would tell you that I’m an extrovert. I’m friendly. I speak to any and every one. That’s my personality. That’s who I am. I talk to total strangers, every single day. I like meeting people. I like getting to know people. I think back and wonder if I’ve always been like this. Once I started high school and broke out of my shell, yes. That’s me. I talk to people.What I’ve seen in Portland, though, that’s been very different than other places I’ve lived, is that people don’t normally talk back. I go to a lot of different places all around Portland, and I pay attention to a lot of things. I people watch. I watch faces. I watch body language. I watch interactions with other people. I watch how people are more….guarded when they see me. I watch how people are hesitant around me. I watch how people lock their car doors if I’m walking by. I watch how women hold their purses tighter or people walk across the street when they see me. I also notice that maybe half of the people that I speak to, actually speak back. Some of the people that I speak to don’t give me eye contact and basically ignore me. When I speak to someone, I might say something like, “How are you today?” And when they don’t respond, I say, “Good.” I wonder what people think when I respond to their non-response. I wonder if it’s because I’m an African American man. I wonder if it’s because I’m a fairly big guy. I wonder if it’s because…I’m not white.Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to believe that all of these people are prejudiced or racist. That wouldn’t be fair. I find it interesting though. I’m sure most of the people I encounter are transplants. Coming from other parts of the country, people have developed their opinions based on their experiences. I get it…sort of. People are cautious. That’s fine. But does it hurt to say hi??? Some people base their opinions on what they hear on TV…or what they read in newspapers…or what they see on the internet. I would never do that. It wouldn’t be fair. I develop my opinion of a person, based on that person. If you’re an asshole, you’re an asshole. Period. Maybe I expect too much out of people. Maybe I live in a fairy tale world, where people use common courtesy. Maybe I live in a world where I think people pay too much attention to their differences, as opposed to the biggest thing they have in common -- and that is we’re all human beings.I love Portland. I love meeting and interacting with so many different people. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. We all lead busy lives and go through this thing called life. We have good moments. We have bad moments. Sometimes those bad moments affect our interactions with other people. Sometimes we’re in our heads so much, that we block out the rest of the world. That’s normal because we’re human beings. But, If you ever encounter me anywhere and I speak to you, do me a favor please. Just say hi.