What do MoM's grocery store, white supremacy, and racial profiling have in common? If you are African-American and attempt to shop at THIS location, you get all 3 as your shopping experience. I moved to this area for a job promotion about 7 - 8 months ago. I had shopped at MoM's in other locations in Maryland and had similar experiences to the ones I have had at this location. What happened you ask? On the weekend of the MLK holiday, I walked into this store to pick up some fruit and a few other items, as I am an avid health-conscious eater. Originally when I walked in, I was in the produce section by myself just going about my business selecting fruit and a few leafy greens. After about 2 minutes, other people (some of them store employees posing as shoppers) came into this section. After having my back to one (a short, balding, white guy), I turn around and catch him staring at me while he is pretending to be selecting a melon). I proceeded to stare at him and he obviously knew he had been made because he nervously dropped his eyes and scurried to the back of the store like a little, bald, white rat. He attempted several times to look natural and not make eye contact, all the while doing things that made him stand out and look like an idiot who was racially profiling me while trying to look like he wasn't. As I walked past him, I gave him a death stare and told him, "You ain't foolin' nobody". His response was to avoid eye contact, drop his head, and scurry past me without saying a word. I then went to the other side of the store near the frozen food. When I arrived, it was just me and one other person in the aisle. I was in eyesight of the only black employee in the store who was up near the cash registers. I decided to stand there in the frozen food section for a while to draw the white female employees who were also following me around the store. As I stood there, I saw the black, nerdy-looking cashier guy smirk at the white girl/woman who was approaching the corner of the aisle (she was out of my eyesight line at this point). Seconds later, I saw her out of the corner of my eye. She was wearing white so she was easy to spot. She poked her head around the corner, spotted me in the aisle, and then pulled her head back quickly so as not to be seen by me (she THOUGHT). Before that, an older, skinny, balding, white male cashier had done the exact same thing. It reminded me of that scene from the movie "Don't Be A Menace In South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood". You know ... the scene where the 2 black guys are in the corner store and the Korean store-owners are doing backflips and hiding in the frozen food bins while spying on the 2 guys. It really was quite ridiculous. There was also a second heavyset, hipster-looking white female who I had seen at this location in previous trips. She was one of the rude people I had encountered previously. You know the type ... they greet and say goodbye to white people but don't do the same to African-Americans (males in particular ... because they are afraid to mistreat the African-American females). But they expect African-Americans to trip over themselves to greet and say thank you and goodbye to them (I never do if they don't address me and this makes them extra pissed). Anyway, I always catch this one staring at me with this dumb look on her face everytime I go into this store. The look is a combination of fear and stupidity.
I wonder how they would feel if they knew I was a software engineer who made probably 4 - 5 times what they make. It probably wouldn't matter ... all white supremacists see is color. I have lived in MANY different areas of the country. THIS is probably one of the most racist areas I have ever lived in. If it's not THEE most racist, it is right up there. The white people in this area are generally rude, racist, and they wear it on their faces more than some I have experienced ... and I've experienced A LOT, so I know what I'm talking about.
So ... what I have decided to do is ... since this happened on the MLK holiday weekend ... I have decided to do what MLK himself would have done. I have decided to boycott MoM's stores altogether. I think this is a fitting response. When white people can't or won't treat you with respect because of the color of your skin, why reward them with your hard-earned money? Why continue to tell them that I am ok with your racism, your white supremacist mindset, your rudeness, your vitriolic behavior, your ignorance, etc., by giving you my money to mistreat me? Especially when I can just go to another store that DOES NOT mistreat me (at least they don't make it as obvious). I think MLK would be proud of my boycott of MoM's stores. Any African-American out there who has experienced similar racism and white supremacy at MoM's or any other store, I would encourage you to do the same. read more