Two women of colour walk into a vintage clothing store in Ottawa. The middle-aged white male store owner suddenly appears from the back of the store to ask for their bags. They comply, but given his unfriendly tone and manner, one of the women asks if this is the policy for all customers. He replies that bags need to be kept at the counter, because âeoethe store is too big to monitor.âe

Later, two white women walk into the store and are greeted warmly by another employee of the store. One of them is carrying a large shoulder bag but they wander about the store without being requested to hand it over. Noticing this, one of the women of colour turns to the store manager and asks him if he is going to ask for her bag. Startled, he explains that the policy only applies to backpacks. âeoeWe donâe(TM)t ask for purses because people keep their personal items in their purses.âe The woman of colour points out that the white womanâe(TM)s bag is as big as her backpack in which she has all her personal items. Failing to receive an adequate answer, she asks if the differential treatment might have to do with the fact that she and her friend are women of colour.

Becoming increasingly aggressive, the owner first insists he is âeoenot prejudicedâe and then turns to the other woman to ask for her bag. As she hands it over, he announces âeoeit is because this woman is calling me racist.âe There is no mention of the store policy.

Furious, the women of colour ask for their bags so they can leave. The man becomes aggressive and calls them âeoeannoying,âe even when it turns out that one of their bags is not a backpack but a large purse, just like that of the white women.

This incident occurred a few months ago as the two of us were shopping together. Chances are, if you are a person of colour, youâe(TM)ve probably had one or more similar experiences.

When racism manifests itself in subtle forms it is not uncommon to question whether what we are experiencing is actually racism.

In recounting this story, some have pointed out that the owners of this particular store are well known for their general rudeness to everyone, not just customers of colour. The implication here is that we were âeoeplaying the race cardâe when, in actual fact, we could not be sure what really motivated the store ownerâe(TM)s behaviour.

As women of colour, it is difficult to shrug off being treated unfairly as a simple act of rudeness. This particular âeoeact of rudenessâe took place within a larger historical and political context in which women of colour are continuously locked under the gaze of white privilege and power. We are constantly being watched âe” be it as objects of desire in movies or magazines that portray us as hyper-sexualized or disdain in news media that represent our cultural practices as backward, or as potential criminals in stores at airports or border crossings.

The impact of this constant surveillance is to remind us that we live in a society in which racialized women must remain subordinate.

Given this context, it is difficult to take it lightly when we are monitored in stores and asked to hand over our bags for fear that we might steal something. It is not unreasonable for us to question such an act of surveillance as we did even when agreeing to hand over our bags. Though it isnâe(TM)t always easy, we felt the need that day to ask whether we were being profiled. bell hooks refers to this as âeoetalking back.âe Talking back, according to hooks, is what allows us from moving from the position of âeoeobjectsâe âe” in this case, objects of surveillance âe” to that of âeoesubjects.âe

Of course, it is not uncommon for those who engage in acts of racism to refuse to acknowledge their racism. Often a question about racism turns into a debate about the perpetratorâe(TM)s intentions. The storeowner insisted that he was not âeoeprejudiced.âe Intent is difficult to prove and, ultimately, in cases of racial discrimination, makes little difference. In the end, it turned out we were treated differently than a non-racialized customer and were well within our rights to point out the differential treatment.

To dismiss our question as âeoeannoyingâe was in itself an act of racism âe” one that failed to acknowledge the differences of power between us and the white male storeowner and attempted to make us feel like bullies for standing up for ourselves.

We have a right to ask whether rules are being applied equally and denounce instances when they are not. Individuals in positions of power who are dismissive or defensive when questioned about how rules are being applied are failing to play their role in creating a more just and equal society.

As people of colour, we are more likely to be stopped by police, to be searched in airports, to be turned down for job opportunities or promotions. We can prove this through statistics, but it is difficult to challenge the individual instances that create the statistics.

Going through this experience together has motivated us to write this monthly feature for rabble exploring issues of racial equity in Canada. Beyond our day-to-day experiences, we have found voices of racialized individuals lacking in many of the discussions that are currently taking place throughout the country on issues that affect us directly such as security certificates, âeoereasonable accommodationâe in Quebec and voting with the veil.

We hope to use this space not only to express our own views, but also to share those of our fellow activists of colour through interviews and guest columns.