Excerpt from WYSO
The WYSO Race Project invites two everyday people from the Miami Valley to talk about their life experiences through the prism of skin color. On this week’s episode, we have a conversation with Andrew Strombeck and Matthew Chaney, who both work at Wright State University.
Chaney: My name is Matthew Chaney, Dr. Matthew Chaney. I'm a Black man, born and raised in Flint, Michigan. Certainly, first-generation college student. In my entire career, I've been in higher education, spent 27 years at Ferris State University in Michigan. And I've been at Wright State University as the vice president for inclusive excellence for two years and four months.
Strombeck: My name is Drew Strombeck. I guess I'm also Dr. Drew Strombeck. I am a white man. I have been a professor at Wright State since 2007. I teach in the English department, and I teach mostly 20th and 21st century American literature.
So, Matthew, have you ever experienced discrimination for your race?
Chaney: Yes. Before I went off to college, I worked at a local family owned plumbing and heating company. I worked there, and I was the only Black person to work in this family owned business. And I was coming back from lunch, punching in on the time clock, it was a gentleman, a Black man that was a regular in our parts department.
I guess he owned a lot of rental property, and he was leaving, and he was a very dark complected Black man. And so the owner of the company said, “Hey, Matt.” He said, “Did you see how dark he was, how dark complected he was?” He said, “Did you see his hands?” I said, No.” And he said, “See, look at your hands.” He said, “His hands and your hands.” He said, “You both have monkey hands.” He said, “Look at my hands.” And he held his hands out. He was an older, white man. And he said, “Look at my hands, my hands. I don't have monkey hands.” He was from Tennessee. And he said, “Yeah, I remember when I used to play with the little colored kids in my neighborhood, and they used to come outside, and they had monkey hands.” And he said, “They had tails, and they used to have to tie their tails down on their pant leg before they could come out and play.”
