The Personal Side of Biases, Prejudices, and Oppression

When I was pregnant with my first child, I worked in a small center as an infant teacher.  Our center had grandparents who were volunteers and were a huge part of our program.  However, there was a grandparent who always rubbed me the wrong way.  He would always make inappropriate jokes about teacher's bodies.  When I complain to my supervisor, I was told that it was just his personality and he was harmless.  I kept my distance from him and tried hard to ignore the jokes.  Once I had my daughter and enrolled her in the program, I requested that he not be apart of her classroom.  My supervisor honored my request, but one day he walked into my child's classroom, knowing I was next door, and stood over her basinet as if to taunt me.  That was the straw that broke the camel's back  I met with my supervisor and told her either he goes or I would be forced to hand in my resignation.  He was quickly moved to another center.  I was disturbed that he was only moved to another center but even more hurt when I learned that the company I worked for named him Volunteer of the Year!  It was only after the all white teachers at the other center complain of the same complaints I had earlier did the company ask him not to return.

This experience made me feel unheard and as if I was the one who created an uncomfortable environment for him.  For him to receive recognition also made me feel that I was the bad person and he was the good one.  I felt that my company let me down.  I think this experience was about both race and gender.  I was complaining about a white male and their was no way I could have been right.