Middle Fingers to My Mama

"On the morning of the birthday extravaganza, my mother stood on the beach, enjoying the splendor of the shoreline. She is Black. She has six grandkids. Her hair is almost entirely grey. Four young white male beach patrol workers got her attention by first waving. She thought it nice of them to speak to a senior citizen. She smiled and waved back. They then gave my mama the middle finger. She felt tricked and disrespected."

"It is possible that race played no role in this situation. Perhaps those white guys did the same thing to many white senior citizens that day. I am open to the plausibility of shooting middle fingers to older women across all racial and ethnic groups being a longstanding tradition there. My aunt, our family's Port St. Joe expert, says it is not. She has observed climate change there in recent years and suggested this shift is likely attributable to the political climate."

"In response to my mama's experience, my aunt shared a story about an unusual encounter she recently had at a nearby store in that same Florida beach town. She was standing out front, alongside a large item that she had just purchased. A white woman whom she did not know approached and asked if the item was hers. She was not a store employee. To my aunt, the woman's tone was skeptical and seemingly accusatory."

Dozens of friends and family traveled to Port St. Joe, Florida, for an aunt’s 75th birthday celebration. The gathering was joyful and loving, resembling a fun Black family reunion. On the birthday morning, a Black mother with grey hair stood on the beach and waved back at four young white beach patrol workers who first waved at her. The workers then gave her the middle finger, leaving her feeling tricked and disrespected. The family considered whether race played a role, while the aunt, a local expert, said the behavior was not a longstanding tradition and linked recent changes to the political climate. The aunt also described a separate incident in a nearby store where a white woman questioned her purchase in a skeptical, accusatory tone.

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