Don't judge a book by its cover

By Brad Mazon on July 31, 2024

So I was riding my bike through my predominantly White neighborhood. An African American woman came out of her pickup truck. I looked at her as I rode by. She said "haven't you seen a Black person before?" I stopped and said that I had, and that I had worked at an area university with a high African American student enrollment, and with many African American colleagues. She said, "oh, I went there," and then we chatted about when we were both there. Turns out we were both at the university at the same time, she as a student, and I as a fundraiser and adjunct faculty member. Then I hugged her (yes, I'm a hugger), and I rode on. Walls came down. Humanity and connection won out. She is a sweetheart.