On October 2, 2014, I was waiting for the bus home from work, and was listening to calming music to relax.
One guy approached me and told me that I should be “smiling,” and he reached his arm out as if he wanted to touch me. I just stared at him and he kept walking.
Minutes later, another man approached me, standing too close for my comfort, and I thought he was going to try to pick me up. He was wearing a MINT Fitness shirt.
“Hi, I’ve seen you and I wanted to ask—” he starts.
“No, thank you,” I said.
“I just wanted to tell you that we’re doing a photo shoot, and you didn’t have to be so mean about it,” he said.
“I’m not being mean,” I said. “Have a good day.”
He walked off feeling dejected, but that was not my problem.
I repeat, I was standing at a bus stop listening to music. To add context, I was not the only person standing and waiting for the bus, nor was I the only one with headphones on. These men only approached me, not the others standing near me waiting for the bus. I do not like being singled out like that when I am one out of many. The men who approached me were black and I’m black, and I felt that they assumed we’d have an instant rapport because we’re the same race. I am tired of men assuming that because we’re the same race that they can invade my space and tell me to “smile” or call me “mean” when I want to be left alone. I smile when I feel like it and if I want to be left alone, I want to be left alone.
– D
Location: McPherson Square bus stop, Washington, DC
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