My husband and I were on a plane with an African American colleague last month. The flight attendant told us to sit anywhere, so we chose seats near the front of the plane and across the aisle from one another.

At the last minute, three Americans white men entered the plane and took seats in front of us. Just before takeoff, the flight attendant, who is White, asked if we would mind moving to the back of the aircraft to better balance the plane's weight. We grudgingly complied but we felt discriminated when she said  "move to the back of the plane." When we expressed our feelings to the attendant, she denied and became defensive, stated that her intent was to ensure the flight's safety, and wanted to give us some privacy.

Since we had entered the plane first, I asked why she did not ask the white Americans men to move instead of us. She became indignant, stated that we had misunderstood her and she claimed did not see "color," suggested that we were being "oversensitive," and refused to talk about the matter any further.This observation thought me that  one of the salient things in my life is my race based on my color. From a distance, people are able to identity me with the race due to the skin color. This feeling of discrimination of color  leaves emotional and mental stress on a person just like we felt when we had to move our seats.  The government and the people have to stop institutionalizing racism, by talking the multicultural and multiracial dimension (Margles & Margles, 2010). It is a vice that should be tackled at all levels right from the learning institution, private entities and to the public organizations (Margles & Margles, 2010).

Margles, S. A. R. A. H., & Margles, M. (2010). Inverting Racism’s Distortion. Our Schools/Our Selves–Anti-Racism in Education: Missing in Action, 137-150.