My experience with racism in a Ghanaian grocery store

Growing up in the United States, I have been catcalled and demeaned with many a racial epithet. I have experienced everything from being spat at and called the n-word to having my intelligence belittleddue to the color of my skin.When I moved to Ghana earlier this year, I was naïve enough to think that I would no longer be forced to endure such mortifying racial incidents. A few days ago, I was proven wrong.

As an African from the diaspora returning to the continent, I expected to feel at home in Ghana, a hub of black excellence that has birthed heavyweights like Kofi Annan, David Adjaye,Taiye Selasi, and so many more. In Ghana, I never thought my blackness would make me a target of negativity, but I was proven wrong a few days ago at SaagarImpex Supermarket, a small Indian specialty grocery store in Osu.

After a long day at work, I went into the store to buy some chickpeas. When I entered the store, I was immediately followed. None of the white or Indian patrons r