Fortiani» (Observer
Page 6
December 10. 2014
New Prices
Effective
May 1,2010
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$45.00
A sm all d istance/trav el charge
m ay be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 sm all H allw ay)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services)-. $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool):
$40.00Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pie-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109-$139
Chair or Recliner
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
th & >
Other Services): $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
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• Deodorizing & Pet
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Removal Service
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Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
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PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
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IMHHMMHMMHHMMBMMMMMNni
Ferguson Anger comes Entirely from Valid Place
Most whites don’t
know what black
folks face
by
J ill R ichardson
Shortly before Michael
Brown’s fateful encounter
with Ferguson cop Darren
Wilson, I was appointed as
a teaching assistant in a
class on race and ethnicity. I’m white. I
didn’t go to grad school to study race — I
studied agriculture.
I wish I could say that I’ve obtained a
whirlwind education on race in the United
States. But that’s not true. If anything, I’ve
gained a deeper appreciation of my blind
spots. I probably boast a more diverse group
of friends than many of the folks I grew up
with. But like the majority of white people,
my social networks are still almost entirely
white.
I could tell you the names of every single
black kid in my grade in my childhood
elementary school because there weren’t
that many. At the time, I thought they were
having the same social and educational expe
rience that I was. I was wrong.
I recently reconnected with an African-
American from my fourth grade class.
O ur teacher, he told me, was racist.
“W hat?” I responded.
I mean, I was there. But I remember
nothing. It was something I didn’t even
think about as a kid.
What I do know is this: Whenever I had
a run-in with a teacher — or anyone else
for that matter — I never had to wonder if
they treated me that way because I was
white. Not so for my black classmates.
I’ve never had acquaintances come up
and touch my hair as if they’re petting a
dog. I’ve never had someone say some
thing like, “You’re so cool, I don’t even
consider you white!” or “Y ou’re pretty,
for a white girl.”
People of color hear statements like these
all the time.
When I screw up, I don’t have to worry
that I’m representing all white people and
ruining things for all of us. When I get pulled
over by a cop, I never wonder if it’s because
I’m white.
And, what’s more, I never even have to
think about this stuff. I can even claim I’m
“colorblind” because we live in a “post-
racial” America.
As an adult, I’m frequently shocked by
how different my black friends’ experience
of America is from mine. One friend told me
that when she dresses in the morning, she
consciously attempts to look “non-threaten
ing” to white people.
Other friends worry about the safety of
their teenage sons.
What do you do when your 13-year-old is
six feet tall, and you see the police looking at
him as if he might be up to something? How
do you explain to your rambunctious, inno
cent nine-year-old that he can’t wear the
hoods on his hoodies, just in case?
It’s hard to buy into the “post-racial” lie
when you fear that a not-so-colorblind cop
might shoot your kid.
Being white doesn’t give me a free pass in
life. As a white person with a medical disabil
ity that impacts every day of my life, I
struggle plenty. But my experience — any
white person’s experience — of America
doesn’t match what people of color experi
ence.
If this makes you uneasy, there are a few
small steps you can take to promote change.
First, admit your ignorance and withhold
judgment. White folks don’t know what
black folks are going through. How on earth
can we judge the outpouring of anger in
Ferguson right now?
True, burning down a strip mall won’t
help anything. But with a legal system deeply
biased against African Americans, white
Americans need to understand that this anger
comes from an entirely valid place — one
that most whites simply don’t understand on
their own.
Second, reach out. Make friends. Get to
know someone who doesn’t look like you.
• In fact, get to know many people who
don’t look like you. Because the first step
toward bridging the gap between the races in
America is forging friendships.
Jill Richardson is a columnist for
OtherWords.