By Candy Webb
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Hendersonville resident Joyce Bodie says she refuses to let the ignorance of a few interrupt her enjoyment of life.

Though racism has been a fact in her life for almost 50 years, it hasn’t made her angry. She has been African American since the day she was born but doesn’t feel the color of her skin should define who she is.

“I am just me,” said Bodie. “I speak to everyone I see, regardless of their color, and I think we are basically all the same.”

Bodie does believe there are vast cultural differences between the two races in America and feels that may be the root cause of racism today.

“I don’t think it is a black-and-white issue anymore,” she explained.

“At this point in history we can all attend the same schools, get the same education and choose the same careers.

“We aren’t being told to sit at the back of the bus or drink out of separate fountains. Today, we just have different cultures, and sometimes people fear what they don’t understand, and it happens on both sides of the color barrier.”

Bodie has experienced racism in her life; in fact, one example still stands out in her mind decades after it happened.

“I was about seven years old, and I was playing with some white children on a hot summer day,” she explained.

“One of the little white girls went in to ask her mom to give us all some water. The mom came out and gave all the white children cups of water and didn’t give the black children anything. When the white children had drunk theirs she told them to give us the little bit of water that was left in their cups and that is what we could drink.

“She also made sure they were throw away cups so after we drank from them she could put them in the trash.”

Bodie remembers being hurt that day, but as she got older she decided not to let the ignorance of a few determine how she viewed an entire race.

“If I were to get mad and decide that all white people were racist, and ignorant based on the few racists I have encountered, wouldn’t that make me just as bad as the racists themselves?” she asked. “How could I ever be like them and still feel good about myself?”

It is one of the things Bodie admires most about the late Dr. Martin Luther King.

“He didn’t like prejiduce no matter what side it was on,” said Bodie. “He wanted true equality. He didn’t want white people to be superior, and he didn’t want black people spending their lives being angry about things that happened long ago. He just wanted everyone to have an equal chance at happiness and I agree with that.”

Bodie remembers growing up in a home where whites were viewed as superior. With a laugh she recalls some false beliefs she held as a child.

“I thought if a white person got cut, the blood would be gold,” she said. “Imagine my surprise when I found out it is red just like ours.”

As the years went by, Bodie became close friends with people from all races and cultures and thinks her life is richer because of it.

“I attend a church that has all races in its congregation,” she said.

“Our pastor makes it clear that we are all to leave our color at the door and come in and celebrate the Lord. I love being in church because it is the place where I know we are all just people. Not black people, white people and Hispanic people, just people.”

Bodie doesn’t think racism will ever disappear entirely; in fact one of her grandchildren recently made a comment that caused her concern.

“He said something that let me know he is dividing the races in his mind and heart, and that made me sad,” she said.

“I would hope that with each new generation the racism would disappear even more.”

According to Bodie, racism is still around; it is just displayed differently than it was in the past.

“On one hand, lots of people claim they aren’t racist, but let their daughter bring a black boyfriend home and watch what happens,” she said.

“Their claim is about trying to appear one way, but in their heart they still feel they are better than other races. On the other hand, it seems like those who are openly racist are more willing to say it out loud and say it to your face than they were before. They will just put it out there and not care whose feelings it hurts.”

Bodie knows there are certain area businesses that automatically watch her when she enters simply because she is black. She and her family members have experienced being scrutinized as if their color automatically translated to shoplifting suspicions.

While she believes she will encounter such things for the rest of her life, she refuses to let it bother her.

“I know who I am, and I know what is in my heart,” she said.

“And I have a lot to offer the world, people who take the time to get to know me are glad that they did. I have friends of every color, and I like it that way.”