Skin color can matter in Paris

I recently came back from a month’s stay in France and happened to stumble across some of Susan Spano’s writings on Paris. She appears to be blinded by the lights and doesn’t have a real perception of what it is like being a person of color in Paris. Whether you are upper class or middle class, there is a big difference between a white American woman and a woman of color traveling and living in France.

Paris has a large African and Middle Eastern immigrant population, and some of the French aren’t happy about it. I am from a mixed upper-class family background and have been mistaken for several nationalities. In Paris, I was mistaken for and treated like an immigrant, but the moment I began to speak English, attitudes changed. Once people realized I was American, I was treated in a new light. Men were very friendly, and store owners were unusually polite.

So a word to all non-white travelers to Paris: Avoid being in the Metro as much as possible and speak English. Otherwise, you will more than likely have a police dog sniffing you for drugs and be treated like scum.

There is one good thing about being an American person of color in France: You will be referred to only as “an American.”

Kelly Montana

Santa Monica