There are a couple of oft-told stories about Condoleezza Rice directly confronting racism. In one, she is an undergraduate at the University of Denver, and a professor approvingly cites William Shockley, the co-inventor of the transistor, who, in those days, was barnstorming the country making speeches about black people being genetically less intelligent than white people. “I raised my hand and said, ‘You really should not be presenting this as fact because there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary,’” Rice told Isabel Wilkerson in an interview for Essence. “‘Let me explain to you: I speak French, I play Bach, I’m better in your culture than you are.’”

In another story, Rice is shopping for jewelry at the Stanford Shopping Center with an academic colleague and close friend named Colt (Chip) Blacker. The clerk pulls out the costume jewelry. She and Rice trade hostile remarks. Then, as Blacker told the story to Dale Russakoff, of the Washington Post, “Condi said, ‘Let’s get one thing straight. You’re behind the counter because you have to work for six dollars an hour. I’m on this side asking to see the good jewelry because I make considerably more.’”

Bookmark/Search

Add/Forward