My Racist Encounter at the White House Correspondents' Dinner

Seema Jilani

Physician reporting from Afghanistan
 

The faux red carpet had been laid out for the famous and the wannabe-famous. Politicians and journalists arrived at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, bedazzled in the hopes of basking in a few fleeting moments of fame, even if only by osmosis from proximity to celebrities. New to the Washington scene, I was to experience the spectacle with my husband, a journalist, and enjoy an evening out. Or at least an hour out. You see, as a spouse I was not allowed into the actual dinner. Those of us who are not participating in the hideous schmooze-fest that is this evening are relegated to attending the cocktail hour only, if that. Our guest was the extraordinarily brilliant Oscar-nominated director of Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin. Mr. Zeitlin's unassuming demeanor was a refreshing taste of humility in a sea of pretentious politicians reeking of narcissism.

As I left the hotel and my husband went to the ballroom for the dinner, I realized he still had my keys. I approached the escalators that led down to the ballroom and asked the externally contracted security representatives if I could go down. They abruptly responded, "You can't go down without a ticket." I explained my situation and that I just wanted my keys from my husband in the foyer and that I wouldn't need to enter in the ballroom. They refused to let me through. For the next half hour, they watched as I frantically called my husband but was unable to reach him.

Then something remarkable happened. I watched as they let countless other women through -- all Caucasian -- without even asking to see their tickets. I asked why they were allowing them to go freely when they had just told me that I needed a ticket. Their response? "Well, now we are checking tickets." He rolled his eyes and let another woman through, this time actually checking her ticket. His smug tone, enveloped in condescension, taunted, "See? That's what a ticket looks like."

When I asked "Why did you lie to me, sir?" they threatened to have the Secret Service throw me out of the building -- me, a 4'11" young woman who weighs 100 pounds soaking wet, who was all prettied up in elegant formal dress, who was simply trying to reach her husband. The only thing on me that could possibly inflict harm were my dainty silver stilettos, and they were too busy inflicting pain on my feet at the moment. My suspicion was confirmed when I saw the men ask a blonde woman for her ticket and she replied, "I lost it." The snickering tough-guy responded, "I'd be happy to personally escort you down the escalators ma'am."

Like a malignancy, it had crept in when I least expected it -- this repugnant, infectious bigotry we have become so accustomed to. "White privilege" was on display, palpable to passersby who consoled me. I've come to expect this repulsive racism in many aspects of my life, but when I find it entrenched in these smaller encounters is when salt is sprinkled deep into the wounds. In these crystallizing moments it is clear that while I might see myself as just another all-American gal who has great affection for this country, others see me as something less than human, more now than ever before.

When I asked why the security representatives offered to personally escort white women without tickets downstairs while they watched me flounder, why they threatened to call the Secret Service on me, I was told, "We have to be extra careful with you all after the Boston bombings."

I explained that I am a physician, that my husband is a noted journalist for a major American newspaper, and that our guest was an esteemed, Oscar-nominated director. They did not believe me. Never mind that the American flag flew proudly outside of our home for years, with my father taking it inside whenever it rained to protect it from damage. Never mind that I won "Most Patriotic" almost every July 4th growing up. Never mind that I have provided health care to some of America's most underprivileged, even when they have refused to shake my hand because of my ethnicity.

I looked at him, struggling to bury my tears beneath whatever shred of dignity that remained. They finally saturated my lashes and flood onto my face. Shaking with rage, I said, "We are all human beings and I only ask that you give me the same respect you give others. All I am asking is to be treating with a dignity and humanity. What you did is wrong." They stared straight ahead, arms crossed, and refused to even look at me. Up came the cruel, xenophobic, soundproof wall that I had seen in the eyes of so many after 9/11. Their eyes, flecked with disdain and hatred, looked through me.

The next affront came quickly thereafter. "You were here last year, weren't you? You caused trouble here last year too. I know you," they claimed, accusing me of being a party-crasher. Completely confused, I explained that this was my first time here and that I had no idea what he was referencing. Clearly, he had assumed all brown people look the same and had confused me for someone else.

I wonder what their reaction would have been to a well-dressed white woman trying to reach her husband. Would she have struggled for over an hour while they watched and offered to escort others in? Would they not have extended an offer to help, bended over backwards to offer assistance, just as they did with the woman who "lost her ticket"? Would the Boston bombings even be mentioned to a white woman?

Let's stop this facade that we are a beacon of tolerance. I don't need you to "tolerate" me. I don't want you to merely put up with my presence. All I ask, all I have ever asked, is to be treated as a human being, that bigoted jingoism is not injected into every minute facet my life, that there remains at least the illusion of decency.

Despite being a native English speaker who was born in New Orleans and a physician who trained at a prestigious institution, all people see is the color of my skin. After this incident, I will no longer apologize, either for my faith or my complexion. It is not my job to convince you to distinguish me from the violent sociopaths that claim to be Muslims, whose terrorism I neither support, nor condone. It is your job. Just like when a disturbed young white man shoots up a movie theatre or a school, it is my job, as someone with a conscience, to distinguish them from others. It's not my job to plead with you to shake my hand without cringing, nor am I going to applaud you when you treat me with common decency; it's not an accomplishment. It's simply the right thing to do. Honestly, it's not that hard.

This year, Quvenzhané Wallis took the world by storm with her staggering performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild. At several award ceremonies, reporters refused to the learn the accurate pronunciation of her name, and one reporter allegedly told Wallis, "I'm gonna call you Annie," because her name was too difficult to pronounce. If reporters can learn to pronounce Gerard Depardieu and Monique Lhuillier then surely they can take the time to learn how to pronounce Quvenzhané. It's not hard; it's just not deemed worthy of your energy because she is someone of color.

A school child recently threatened my 12-year-old niece claiming, "I'm going to kill you Miss Bin Laden." Again, it is not my job to teach your children manners and social justice, to remove the disgusting threads of racism that you have woven into their hearts with your insecurities. Last week, a 39-year-old Muslim American cab driver who served in the Iraq war was attacked and had his jaw broken in a hate crime. The assailant, an executive from an aviation company, told the veteran "I will slice your [Disallowed String for - bad word]ing throat right now." I suppose the "support the troops" rhetoric by the right only applies to white veterans.

It wasn't enough that I have had to prove my "American-ness" at every step of my career, but now the next generation is suffering as well. It wasn't enough that I was asked whether my father taught me how to make bombs, or that I was told that I was doomed to the seventh circle of hell during my medical school interviews. I was also asked whether I would wear a burqa or if my parents would arrange my marriage during interviews. It is outrageous that I have to actually prove to the world how horrified I am that an 8-year-old boy was brutally murdered by a terrorist bombing. Any normal human being feels this agonizing grief with the rest of the country. I do not have to prove to you that, I, too, find it morally reprehensible. Of course I do. I have a heart. I am human.

So, I no longer want a seat at your restaurant, where you serve me begrudgingly, where I am belittled for asking for food without pork, where I endure your dirty looks at my hijabi friend. I want my pride intact, I want this struggle of mine to be recognized, for you to look me in the eye and acknowledge that yes, this tumor called bigotry is indeed rivering through your veins, polluting your mind, and is so malignant that it compels you to squash my dignity.

It's the little indignities that slowly devastate your soul. The ones where your guard is down, and you just expect to dress up, look pretty, and enjoy an evening as a newlywed, or at the Oscars, but instead end up humiliated and snubbed. The ubiquitous racist slap in the face is thinly veiled just beneath the carefully crafted façade. This filthy, highly infectious plague is transforming our nation into one of unwarranted suspicion and anguish inflicted on disenfranchised, voiceless people of color. And now, it is no longer my job to enlighten you. To quote what you so often tell ethnic communities, "It's time for you to step up to the plate, take responsibility, and stop taking what I have earned," my integrity, my dignity.

 

 That's what it is. She did not write that for the general public. She wrote that to selective people who she thinks can march with her. However, you putting all the complex words in sajha in the discussion topic of racism - to me - it looks like a football player is so dedicated that he decided to play footabll while he eats. What I mean is- whatever words you have chosen above to express your feelings are not wrong, they're as accurate as they can be; but your audience here is different. Here you're talking to people from Nepal who are all over the world and most do not have the qualification or the interest to get into those complex words. I can also say that the way you are using these complex words to express your feelings iis much like a computer guys talks about switch and motherboard etc instead of just computer. You can benefit your audience by making thing complex to understand that's what you're doing here. I really did not understand most of the things you've written and I'm fine with that. But I know you're pissed about the lady and you have sympathy for her and which is nice. But, for people like me or many others, you just ruined the topic because we have to open up dictionary if we really want to understand what you're saying- and I don't have time for that. Your articulation only benefits people of your class.

The last time I saw someone who was on the other side of the "white privilege" debate, I was talking to a Caucasian trust fund kid who told me people treated him differently because of his socio-economic status. Well until now, I guess.

vivant, thanks for sharing the other article. I also couldn't agree more to your response to freedom's statement.

beautifool,

What is new in this article? I don’t think people are talking about this article for the novel ideas that Dr. Jilani presents. In fact, most of the issues she talks about aren’t new at all – we (the generic we for “brown” people) experience them in our daily lives. However, the fact that the incident took place in the White house of all places is revolting and it brings into light the rarely discussed white privilege in a completely different manner. Racial discourse and racial politics isn’t always about new ideas; it is about people sharing their experiences and making this discourse happen in the first place. After all, every individual’s experience is different, and that is what the discourse is all about.

Regarding the use of GRE words (although I wouldn’t use that term), I see where you are coming from. It grinds my gears when people actually use the dictionary to insert difficult words into their arguments just to make it sound more complex. However, I know for a fact that behoove isn't doing so - nor he needs to. Getting riled up when someone writes "improve" and then google-replaces it with "ameliorate" (where the former word would suffice) is one thing, but denouncing one's arguments just because of their superior(for the lack of a better term) command in English is another.  One could very well argue that the language you have used in your arguments would sound esoteric to some other people. Does that ruin the argument? Not at all.

भाषा भनेको सबैले सिक्ने कुरा हो र सबै जना सबै भाषा मा पोख्त हुदैनन्. तर, जब एक व्यक्ति ले आफुलाई सजिलो लाग्ने भाषा मा आफ्नो विचार प्रस्तुत गर्दछ, तब उसको विचारधारा ले चलिरहेको बहस लाइ नै बिगार्यो भन्ने कुरा संग मा सहमत छैन. साझामा  ठुल्दाई, बिहुब तथा अन्य दिग्गज ले प्रयोग गर्ने शब्द बुझ्न कहिले काही मलाई पनि गार्हो हुन्छ, तर उहा हरुले dictionary र शब्दकोश पल्टाएर लौ आज मा यो यो शब्द प्रयोग गर्छु भनेर लेख्छन होला त ? उनि हरु ले दैनिक रुप मा जुन भाषा प्रयोग गर्छन, तेही भाषा मा आफ्नो विचार प्रस्तुत गर्दछन. भासिक क्ष्मता लाइ मानिस को बौद्धिक क्ष्मता संग तुलना गर्नु उचित हुदैन, तर कसैको को विचारधारा लाइ नै पाखा लगाएर "लौ तिम्ले लेखेको अरुले बुझेनन्", तेसैले तिमीले यो बहस नै बिगार्यौ भन्नु कति उचित होला र?

Well just saying that while we condemn so much, are we sure that we do not ourselves practice some racism?. Come on we come from the land that invented racism. Nepali politicians comes from a specific caste, that is "racism". Nepalis look to marry within caste, that is "racism". Indians are called Dhotis, that is racism. Well i could go on and on.

Multiculturalism that only the West practices has simply brought this issue to fore. Whereas it is sad racism happens, it is a lesser part of Western society even with all these cultural mish mash and i think they did great with the tolerance. Now as with all Society, this has its limit too i guess, in the future we will see more of this. It will be sad but it will be a natural response.

my bad for behoove. I think I was wrong. So I take it back. Apologies for the "word" comments. We express our thoughts our own way. 

 Racism is a human nature, nothing to do with America and whites. It is everywhere, in every culture and country. If you think we are holier than them, you simply wants an excuse to blame the others. Blacks have a reason to cry out racism cause they have been chained and beaten for 4 hundred years. You? Take a hike and look at your anciestral land to find the answers.
The article is nothing but a fancy written assignment.

 vhotee- you simified my long answers. Thanks.

Talking about slavery, black people practiced slavery in Africa long before whites did in US and was learnt from them. And even in this modern day, Nepalis and Indians take slaves in the form of "kaam garne". Some people back home have a holier than thou look on their face claiming that they have an underaged boy/girl slaving for them but guess what?. They are schooling them. WOW what generosity!.

If you really want to do good for these kids, dont make them slaves!. Asking young kids to wash dishes, cook, wash clothes,.......pathetic!. And buying a nice dress for them and schooling them are given as justification.....absurd!.

We human being always find a way to see the “difference” and create us/them in the society since the days of Neanderthal. The issue of America is mainly black/white and they have their own fights, rightfully so. But any other race trying to get a free ride making the dumbest excuse does not help to make the matter any better. Us/them has and will always exist. Let us take an example of Africa, not trying to point out the blacks here, just an example of segregation of society regardless of culture.

Sudan with same color skin but with Muslims and Christian is at war. You might say, no brainer, it is because of 2 different religion. OK. Then let us look at Darfur. Same religion, Islam, with arabs and blacks fighting still to this day. You might say, no brainer, they look different facially. OK. How about Rawanda? They have same skin color, same culture, same religion but 2 different tribe. You know the rest of the story.

When people go so far to make the “us/them” society like tribal differences, anciestotial DNA and geographical locations even in a homogeneous society, what makes you think Americans can be called racist for the simplest things.

My observation of Nepali intellectuals that live in America are basically brainwashed with bleeding liberals and their media. When we arrive from Nepal, the chances of a Nepali student attending a university will be in the rural parts of America because of the cheap tuition and lodging. While we do what we can, those places are rampant with ignorant (some racists) americans who do not reflect the overall changing and progressive America. We are shocked after learning racism 101 in college and hence we all tend to sympathize and agree with liberals without accepting the reality that it will happen in every countries, every culture. Statistically, we Nepali are very liberals after we arrive in America, but not exactly back home. It is OK if it happens in Nepal but how dare this happen in America? It’s like a black man going to college in a remote village of Nepal (weird situation), what do you think it will be anything different than what happens here in America in rural places?

If Seema Jilani is an afgan by heritage, then I conclude this lady is a bigot. She just comes of as a socialite who wants to create a drama and write a story about it. She is lucky that she is a white house dinner, but she chosed to find a problem by creating on her own.

you guys forgot what happened in Kathmandu/Nepal when 13 nepalies were killed by muslim terrorists in Iraq? how we came down to streets and beat up and burned down muslims/mosques and their businesses America is very tolerant.. and all of you should appreciate that specially you muslims that you are still able to live here common its a human nature and americans have been repeatedly attacked by immigrant muslims... and non of you have right to judge white people.. they made this country- the prosperous America and they are hard working and good leaders in general and those of you who have worked in military and gasstations already know how lazy 'n corrupt African people are so quit bitchin and be loyal to this country and the people who made it otherwise just go back to where you come from ..simple

It's ridiculous that people are making excuses for racism. Accepting racism because "it exists everywhere" is like accepting cancer because it exists everywhere. Sure, accept it, don't confront it, don't fight it and it will kill you sooner or later. 

I suppose most of the excuses and denials have to do with people's personal situations. After all it is pretty incovenient to have to deal with the consquences of racism and prejudice once you accept it exists and needs to be dealt with. Much more easier to bury your head in the sand and hope the storm passes.

 Vivant
It's all in up in the air to believe what is the real truth. We will have to hear the white house and the secret service side of the story. To me, honestly, it sounds too fabricated just to write an article.
The whole scenerio is that she could not get inside a particular room at the white house to get her key from her husband (that's it, she was not allowed in), or according to her, she was "discriminated". Couldn't she use her cell phone to call her husband? Couldn't she ask someone to get her husband to meet outside?
She said white women were allowed without the pass. Did they have special security clearance? Were these "white" women merely wives or people of high profile? Did they knew the secret service so well so they were allowed without a pass?
Why was Seema not allowed inside? Was it a confidential meeting at the ballroom? Do we know who her husband is? Who does he work with? Who was he with at the ballroom? After all, it is white house and not a carnival.
There are so many questions before we can even fathom what really happened that night. 
We might have our head in the sand hoping the storm will pass, according to your last statment. Atleast we don't have our head in our arse. Just kidding.

Sure, as more informati

Sure, as more information comes out -and lets hope it does - there will be more angles to look at this from. But based on what's come out so far, it looks pretty damning on the part of the security people

I cannot understand why immigrants who go to the West from all over the world do not want to admit to the fact that they go there because it is land of whites. I came to USA because it is a country built by white people where i can get equal salary, respect, freedom, etc.....so with a little bit of racism thrown in sometimes, i am fine. :) hehehehe

Come on, we do not live in a perfect world. Of course i had some encounters too but i came here on my own, they did not beg me or ask me to come here. Multiculturalism is like that. The West has experimented with it. Now they are realising that not all people in this world are democratic and egalitarian so they are feeling that this multiculturalism is a mistake. And i think it is. Not because it is bad, actually it is the best idea to bring people together. But people are just too different in this world.

But really salute the white people for giving world freedom. I might disagree with war, violence etc but i approve their message. Everyone is born free. And i do agree they are a superior race. Look they have proven it. This is the reason why people from all over the world want to immigrate to the West.

I didn't come here because America belonged to the white people. Definitely not, the reason I came to America, than migrate to England or New Zealand or Australia, Canada or Singapore was primarily because none of the other nation hosts such diversity and secondarily because they all speak English.

I know that we cannot be here as immigrants and still whine about racism. But my point is, I came here for a better life and this is not what I expected from a great state like America (metaphorically speaking, I never had any issues here). I came to the West for a better life, but quite honestly, the fact that ONLY white people made america was a 100 year old cliche'. Henry Ford and Lee Iacocca and Sam Walton are obsolete examples, and agreed there still are White software magnets, but what semi-educated whites did in those era was plain labor as compared to the educated taskforce in Asians in current days. 

If I wanted to live in a place where it was only white, Sweden or Germany would have been an ideal place.

Again, why do we have to demean ourselves as inferior race? Just because we are from an underprivileged nation? I do not want to debate on this because I do not have much free time and perhaps this is my last post on this thread. Considering whites as superior race just sounds a little subservient to me. I am not a radical hindu zealot, but I do have my Nepali pride. :)

I hope the lady knew what she was getting into when she was attending cocktail party.

You cannot cry fowl play if you were not able to participate in Miss teen black america.

Truth is she was not invited into the party in first place. If her husband was willing to drop 50k, she could have been invited

The actions of security gaurds donot represnt people in white house correspondent dinner nor of entire America.

Freedom,  you had mentioned that you have converted to christianity and you have every right to do so, but claming the white race as superior race is the most absurd thing that I have heard from you.

That is the height of inferiority complex anyone can have. Is that the reason you converted to christianity because that is your superior white man's religion?

@ Behooveji,

all the countries you mentioned are white except for Singapore. Singapore is not well known for freedom that is why many also migrate to Australia. USA was doing fine and will do just fine without Asians or any other immigrants, it is just that globalisation has made her greedy. Last few decades is when majority of immigrants started flowing in (Asians namely) but they had already gone to the moon and invented majority of what we use today before this happened. It is not a coincidence that all the countries that people want to immigrate to are predominantly white and founding fathers were white. When they say "we are a land of immigrants" they are basically referring to themselves. Nepalese have begun to use this phrase as if Nepalese started to settle here eons ago and built this country hehehe. True there are smart and intelligent nepalese, indians, chinese but as a race we have got nothing much to show as far is progress and inventions are concerned. (now please do not flood this thread with 0 invented in india, fireworks invented in china, etc). We all can understand what i am talking about.

@Rethinkji,

I come from a country where still today if your father is a DSP or minister you can break the law, even rape , rob and steal. I have got nothing to show that i come from a progressive country. So why should i fake it?. I rather call a spade a spade and admit that our race is inherently corrupt and too stubborn to adopt progressive changes. I rank Christiniaty as number 1 religion followed by Hinduism at number 2 and i follow the good teachings of both and identify myselfs as an agnostic for debate purposes. Any problems?

Vhotee,

I wholeheartedly agree with your statement that racism is a human instinct and it exists everywhere. You also provide some compelling examples of human differences based on religion, skin color, beliefs etc.

Your observation of Nepali individuals is your observation – pardon the redundancy. Although you used to term “statistically”, I have yet to see a statistic on liberal views (or the lack thereof) of Nepalese on America. It seems like a generalization to me, and although it may be true, I have encountered several Nepalese people who are liberal both back home and here. If you just read through some threads in sajha, you will find people who turn a blind eye to misogynistic remarks, racism and discrimination based on one’s sexuality. However, there are plenty a people who are liberal in both nations. Although a transnational analysis and scrutiny of one’s belief might provide different results, my point is that not everyone is a brain-washed liberal. And, in making that assumption, you are trivializing their knowledge and awareness and the entire discourse on racism.

I believe the point Dr. Jilani was trying to get across was that racism exists, and hence a discourse is necessary. In this thread, we have seemed to digress from that discourse to the argument that “If it happens in Nepal, it is ok, but if it happens in the US, we have no right to whine about it.” If we were to follow that line of logic, if an Indian girl got raped in say, Ohio, she would have no right to seek justice because rape is “tolerable” (read: not reported/dealt with as much as in the US) in India.

If Seema Jilani is an afgan by heritage, then I conclude this lady is a bigot.

I failed to comprehend the “If……..then” logic here. Is she a bigot because she is an Afghan by heritage? Isn’t that generalization/assumption the root of racism and the very issue Dr. Jilani is talking about?

Texasranger

If I agreed with you, we would both be wrong. The stereotypes and generalizations you present – “we” went on the streets to kill Muslims, black people are lazy (to name a few)- are not only straight up false, but very offensive.  

Freedom 2012,

Just because you are fine with racism does not mean that others have to neglect the issue. Like others have said before, tolerating racism is an easy way out, and if that is the path you want to take and you want to teach your offspring, that is your personal choice.

“The West has experimented with it. Now they are realizing that not all people in this world are democratic and egalitarian so they are feeling that this multiculturalism is a mistake.” I would love to see where you got that from. Again, “The West now realizes that multiculturism is a mistake”, Hmmm.

The question here isn’t why Dr. Jilani did not have the keys and it isn’t how many sets of keys they have. If she was trying to get into a private party (I use ifs because as we said, we only know one side of the story), maybe she was at fault. However, the way she was treated right after (again, if her account is accurate) is a form of blatant racism. And that act of racism cannot be condoned just because “she comes from a society where it is tolerated”. Her views against white privilege and the discrimination that it results in might not be agreeable to you based on your views on racism and discrimination. However, racism isn’t for you or I to define and one’s discrimination isn’t for you or I to condone.

I am probably done talking about this issue, however, it will never cease to baffle me that I had to try and convince people that racism should not be tolerated (again, given the account is true).