I recently heard an interesting story on how the late scholar John Hope Franklin was having lunch at an exclusive Washington club the day he was to receive the Medal of Freedom from the President Bill Clinton in 1995, the nation's highest civilian honor. As Dr. Franklin was waiting for his party another guest came up to Dr. Franklin and asked him to take his coat, assuming Dr. Franklin was on the staff of the club. Gracious and erudite, Dr. Franklin informed his fellow guest that he was also a diner and that he was about to visit the White House to receive the Medal of Freedom. The man quietly and embarrassed took his coat and hung it up himself. I tell this story because something very similar happened to me this weekend while visiting a Lexus dealership in Westport, CT. While I was out on the lot looking at vehicles a man drives up and asks me if he should leave his car here and attempts to give me his keys. I thought about Dr. Franklin and I informed the man that I did not work at the establishment and that I too was a customer, but if he wanted to give me his keys and his car as a gift, I would take them. We sometimes make many assumptions based on how people look without ever thinking of engaging them in conversation with an open mind. I am sometimes guilty of this as I am sure we all are. But presumptions such as these can be devastating to MBEs or to persons whose self perceptions are fragile. These experiences are cautionary tales of our need to be aware and in the moment and not on automatic cruise control when interacting with real people.
January 25, 2010
