I was invited to a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon. It wasn’t like any luncheon I’ve ever attended.
You probably know what it’s like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a white person, but there’s a good chance you don’t know what celebrating St. Patrick’s Day is like for a black person. Well, I do (I’m black) and I thought you might find it interesting to know what it was like for me.
Here are a few observations and questions I have, as a black man, after “celebrating” St. Patrick’s Day.
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It seems like this weekend isn’t really built for me because I don’t drink.
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Bagpipes are a lot louder in person.
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One-on-one conversation can be tough in a crowded bar, especially when the crowd includes a piper.
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If corned beef is so great, why are we eating it once a year?
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It’s noon on a Friday. Shouldn’t we all be at work?
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Who is St. Patrick? What did he do? Does anyone here even care?
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A lot of us don’t even look Irish.
David “DJ” Jackson lives in Buffalo, where he works as a video editor during the day and runs a film company,Hate This Films, on nights and weekends. He will occasionally be providing his “as a black man” perspective on events in Western New York at Trending Buffalo. Follow him at @whoisDJ.
