Growing up in a rural Eastern Tennessee community, there was not a lot of diversity. It is a land inhabited by mainly Caucasian folks of Scot Irish descent, later known as hillbillies. Unlike most of the deep south, there are practically no black Americans in the communities of East Tennessee. Whereas most of the deep south has a large black population, this area has always been self-contained to mostly uneducated whites. The lack of education, along with little to no exposure to diversity sometimes leads to ignorance and hate. 

Thankfully, my family did their best to ensure my brother and I were as well traveled as we possibly could be with the resources we had. I soon realized that I was a lot more comfortable around people that didn’t look or act like me than most of my peers were. By the time high school came around, I realized that there was some real and alive racism all around me. It hurt me to my core. I couldn’t wait to move to a larger community with more like-minded people.

Continue reading Ignorance, microaggressions and racism – by Clark Gibson →