One Presidential Candidate Is Affecting Brooklyn's Arab Community
Photo via Twitter

The news has it’s way of popping up on you. Have you ever experienced a person tell a painful joke? You know, the kind that’s highly offensive but the persons it’s intended to offend tells it instead as an icebreaker. It’s not at all amusing but it’s the trickle down affect of the words stated by a presidential candidate who must not be named. (Thanks J.K. Rowling.)

Recently, I went a mission to find some Mizani Shyne spray to blend my hair. (If you don’t wear a weave, don’t worry about it. You can sit that part out.) I didn’t want to make a trip Downtown Brooklyn for $10 hair spray, so I kept it local and went to the beauty supply store I usually bring my business to. My experience didn’t get a little off until the sales associate started to ring me up and the usual “cash point small talk” commenced. He was an Arab-American young man, in his early 20’s roughly and exuberated positive energy, that covered immense pain.

“What’re you going to do with the spray? You should try to spray and use a lighter at the same time.” It was kind of a weird statement, so I laughed it off and replied, “no thanks, I don’t need any accidents.”

“You know, if you have any Arab friends that you’re trying to get rid of, you can do what I said and they’ll never think it was you. They’ll never think it was you.”

The purchased here viagra sans prescription possible other reasons for erectile dysfunction are diabetes, circulatory, neurological and urological situation.
That’s when it hit me. I looked up from trying to place my money in my wallet, to meet a smiling face that wasn’t really smiling with eyes on the brink of tears. He continued to barely chuckle as I softly replied, “you’re right. They wouldn’t.” I returned a smile as I grabbed my bag and told him to be safe.

I’ve never encountered anything like this before so I didn’t really think about how to digest it. It saddened me beyond belief. A flash of images of people who’ve been recently attacked for being Arab-American, Muslim, or identified as, came to mind as I strolled home. I started to head back to the store but what would I really say?

There are many Arab-American communities in our beloved Brooklyn, some of which are co-habitated communities. This is an effort to encourage all to extend that communal hand and spread that Brooklyn love that is embedded in us all. There have been no reports of hate crimes in our borough and let us all work to keep it this way. A smile can go a long way and it’s the simply powerful validation needed right now.

Continue to spread love and peace, as it may mend a breaking heart.