The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I was watching a movie called "Why Did I Get Married?." Four black women entered a clothing boutique and were having a disagreement with each other about how the clothing would fit. One of the store employees who happened to be a white woman calmly interrupted the conversation and stated "We do not keep cash in the store." Although the movie is a family oriented comedy, my persoanl opinion was that this was a racial microaggression. The store employee did not know anything about the customers who were shopping in the store. I kept asking myself "Why would she bother to make such a degrading comment?" Was it because they were women of color? Was it because they were arguing? Or perhaps----Was it something else? If I were the target of such a bias or prejudice, I would feel like others perceive me as a threat, a criminal, or bad person. This incident diminishes equity because the customers were not being treated fairly. The store employee assumed that they had an intent to rob or steal from the clothing boutique. They were being treated as criminals instead of customers. In order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity, I would have to increase awareness that this behavior towards customers and diverse groups of people is clearly unacceptable by going public and speaking out about sensitive issues.