I have a thing I do whenever I see other black people in places where there aren’t a whole lot of us around. When possible, I make eye contact, give a nod and a smile, and sometimes I even say hi as I pass. Some people return the greeting, while others ignore me completely. I never know what reaction I’ll get in return. I don’t usually expect one, but it’s just one of the things I like to do as a way of saying “I see you, baby.” I know I feel invisible when I’m out and about, so I do what I can to make sure I don’t contribute to that feeling in others.
Earlier tonight while riding home, a black woman walked across the pedestrian crosswalk a few feet ahead of me. She was an immigrant like me, but from a different part of the world; I guessed Sudan as I got a good look at her. Black American immigrants are an easy tell; we swagger when we walk. This woman wasn’t strutting, she was just making her way from one side of the street to the other the best way she knew how.
As I drew nearer, I nodded and smiled like I always do. She gave me a hesitant smile at first, but then a smile erupted across her face and a laugh escaped her lips. She saw the helmet, saw a black woman on a bike, and something about that, about me, filled her with such joy that she actually cheered and pumped her fist as I rolled past her. I couldn’t contain my own enjoyment of her reaction, and as our laughter mixed on 10th Avenue, the ride up the hill seemed a little bit easier.