The Guessing Game

Being an African American, college educated male comes with a lot of pros and cons (don't be alarmed, this is going to end on a good note). Most of my life has been about overcoming stereotypes.  The funny part about doing so is overcoming the generalizations. Many of you can identify. When I was a server,  I was frequently complimented on my ability to "speak well" then also assumed to be going to college on an athletic scholarship. Nothing against Black athletes, they exist but that's not all we can do. When I told people I went to college in Nashville, the automatic assumption was that I attended Tennessee State University. Anyone who knows me, knows I have a love for HBCUs even though I didn't have the privilege of attending. HOWEVER, TSU is not the only institution in Nashville. Not even close. Why assume, instead of ask. As a teacher, I have had several parents walk in the room and not acknowledge me even though I dressed daily in shirt, tie, and slacks. Moral of the story, lots of people make assumptions and generalizations about people based off appearance and brief interactions. Usually, this doesn't go in my favor.  I usually spend many first conversations unearthing and correcting misinterpretations.
Well, today was different. I walked into orientation today in a room with about 30 people. Our jobs were all school based so we were either teachers, teacher assistants, managers, or assistant principals. There were only 4 African Americans in my session and this is education so I was naturally surrounded by white women. This doesn't really bother me much but it does make me conscious and cautious. This one white lady sits beside me and has small banter during the off periods of the meeting. She then turns and asks, "you are an assistant principal aren't you?" I was elated. It may not mean much but I was glad to be seen for who I actually was this time. It was just nice for a stranger to finally get it right.