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Title: Pramila Jaypal Interview I
Narrator: Pramila Jaypal
Interviewer: Alice Ito
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: May 10, 2004
Densho ID: denshovh-jpramila-01-0017

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AI: Well, I'm wondering that, in addition to this, these kinds of reactions that you received as someone from outside the U.S., from India, from a place that many people had no knowledge of, did you experience anything that you would consider racial prejudice or discrimination during your college years?

PJ: Yeah, there were always, I think, always comments and things. People would talk about the color of my skin or... you know, I think as much about being a woman, actually, as anything. Like I remember when I was interviewing for investment banks, and one of the questioners, guy, said, "So, you know, you come into the office and somebody says, 'Oh, you're,' says something like, 'you're dark and you're a woman. Why don't you go fetch the coffee?' What would you do?" And I said, "Just what I'm going to do now." I walked out. And I was furious. And he called and asked me to come back. He said, he said, "That's exactly what we want to see, is that kind of..." And I said, "I'm sorry, it's just not the, it's not the place for me." So I became more aware of it, I think, later, but I definitely remember comments. I don't remember any specific instances, and it's interesting because most of the instances of racism have actually occurred more recently. And I don't know if that's because they've occurred more recently, or because I'm just much attuned to it now. But, you know, being denied a room because of my race, that's something that's happened recently versus when I first arrived. And part of that may be that Georgetown, I mean, Washington did have a lot of African Americans and -- not that that necessarily makes you more tolerant, but, but we weren't as visible, in a way.

<End Segment 17> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.