Black Man Forced To Back Of Elevator

ATLANTA, GA – After leaving his corner office on the top floor of the Coca-Cola headquarters, John Robinson, a black man, entered the elevator alone only to be forced to the back like some sub-human unworthy of a front row position. Mr. Robinson got on the elevator on the 29^th floor as a free and independent rider. At floor 27, however, a white male got on, imposing Mr. Robinson to take a step backwards. At floor 23, another patron entered, driving the proud African-American another step farther. And so it went. With each successive entrant, Mr. Robinson was being pushed not only to the back of the elevator but backwards in time to an era of hatred, when men and women were subjected to systematic mistreatment based solely on the color of their skin. When the elevator finally came to rest at the lobby, the collection of cold-hearted racists flooded out onto the ground floor as Mr. Robinson could only wait his turn. Finally, Mr. Robinson and a white woman were the only two people left in the elevator car, and with his spirit crushed and his mind fully aware that battling the tides of social oppression equates to futility, Mr. Robinson was forced to let her go first. 

Racism is a group effort