Uptight white girls

A few weekends ago, my friend Tabitha called and asked me if I wanted to fill in for her co-worker who had to bail on a fund-raising dinner they had been invited to by another non-profit that they work with. I tried to probe her regarding what kind of dinner it would be: conservative suits and silent auction with a sermon after a well-produced inspirational video and lots of loud music, often performed by the clients of the organization? Sparkly, sexy dresses and silent auction with drinking and party-style networking? My experience says that these things usually fall into one of these two categories. Also, they're generally huge with 500-1000 people. Both have envelopes on the tables.

Tabitha put off my questions but told me what she would be wearing. Fancy but not super-sexy.

Well, when we got there, it was a blacklady affair. I was very excited but disappointed that I missed a chance to wear a sparkly dress because we didn't know ahead of time. So, here were white Tabitha and white Rebecca at an intimate two-free-drinks-and-dinner with 40 African-American folks. There was a tiny little silent auction and great appetizers. The directors of this women's ex-offender re-entry organization came over during the drinks portion of the evening and the five of us had a great conversation about what they're working on. Dinner was good. Tabitha and I talked mostly to each other but did not block out the other 4 people at the table large enough for 10 people. We were a little spread out. After some brief speeches, the directors went around the room and introduced all of the guests, including me!

And then the dancing began.

Those women got right onto that dance floor and began dancing some variation on the electric slide that I learned in a bathroom at a speech tournament when I was 16 years old, waiting for the awards ceremony but getting ready for the formal dance that we would have to race to when we got home late after the tournament. These ladies would have chuckled politely at my little electric slide.

I'm actually not a terrible dancer. I'm coordinated, can let loose and have fun and have a sense of rhythm and swing. But I was intimidated. However, after prodding me several times, Tabitha just got right up there and joined them. Basically, she shamed me. So, I studies the progression of steps just a little longer and, laughing, got on the dance floor and right foot stomped, hold it now, hold it. Hold it. Hold it now, hold it.

That first dance broke the tension and we could spend the rest of the evening going back and forth from talking to people to the dance floor because, as Tabitha said, we were no longer "the uptight white girls."