Hit and Run Racism

Let me set up the back story- so bear with me for a moment

Last weekend I went to a scrapbooking retreat (or crop for those in the "cult") I have never been to a crop with this particular group of people, but I am good friends with some of them (and knew a few more casually) However, the majority of them were strangers. At several points in the evening, everyone does what is called a "walkabout" -each person selects their favorite page, places it on their workstation and everyone "walks about" and looks at what everyone else has done.

So here is my page (not my fanciest work- but cute pics of the kids from right after K came home)

So everyone is walking about and I am back hanging out by my book when a couple of women come by. One asks me about the kids and if they were all "mine" and I said yes and she asked where D was from (turns out she has a child from China too). The woman behind her overheard and as the first lady walked away she pointed to K and asked where she was from. I replied "Ethiopia" and she leaned in close to me (like she had some great secret to tell me) and said in a whisper

"At least she isn't dark like some of those people from over there."

Those people??? Which people would that be exactly??? and while we are at it-what exactly do you mean by "at least"?????

But before I could say a word, she walked away.

I have heard similar sentiments occasionally from others, usually as a thinly veiled observation that K doesn't "look African" (as if all Africans look the same) but this was the first person to be so "open" about it.

Now she was older (like early 70s) and I will give a "pass" for some of the politically incorrect things people say cause they are a product of a "different time" but seriously folks- step out of 1930 and join us in 2010.