Full Transcript: Vera Burk on Not Allowing Discrimination
Vera: I never had that. No. First thing if I thought they were doing that I wouldn't tolerate it. But, now I don't know, I've heard that, but for me to say that happened, I can just take your word for it. Because if I went in somewhere and I felt I was being taken care of properly by me being raised here and born here I have a different outlet. I don't take it, I don't take it from nobody, I don't have to. It never happened to me, and if it did it would be on the national news [Laughs]. Because I wouldn't tolerate it. I would tell them right then and there, you know, who are you? You know better than me? You probably just got off the boat, see that's what I say. I'd just tell you right off the front. I say, I don't have to eat here, this is my money. You're the one in business. And I can take my dollar and leave, and that's it. And if you give me a little hassle than I might just have to do something else. But I never had that in Hamtramck, and I never it anywhere else I think. When I worked for the government, yes. When I worked for the government, me and a friend of mine, she was white. And we went to a restaurant, and it was our lunch hour and which we only had thirty minutes and we kept sitting, and we kept saying we go there everyday, I said, it's an hour, we're late! So we order our food and they didn't bring it, and when they did bring it, I told the girl, well I don't what you want to do but I got my purse, and I walked out. And the lady came out and said your food is there, and I said, not my food, that's your food. Well you gotta pay for it, I said, no I don't have to pay for it. I said, you took one hour. I said, I don't know what you're problem, I said, but that's your food. You can eat it or throw it away. And I got in my car and left. And I've never been back there. I don't know what's her problem, I didn't care. And my girlfriend said, oh my God, Vera, you think they're coming down to the government and get us? I said, I wish they would. I said, I would welcome that. I said, because we work for the government. I said, I would love it. I told my boss when I got back, he said, you did right. He said, I wish they would come up in here and ask for some money. Because we had our badges they knew where we worked, you know. So he said, yeah let them come up in here. He said, I'm waiting on them. But they never did, they didn't send a note or nothing. We didn't pay them, we left the food right there. And she said, let's leave. I said, no we're gonna wait till they bring the food, set it here and then we're going to get up and leave. And we ordered so much food. I said, just order everything! I said, we're gonna leave it right here, and that's what we did. And then I should have sued them, that's what I should have did. Because but they did get sued. Somebody else sued them.
Interviewer: For the same thing?
Vera: Mhm, for the same thing. Yeah, I said golly I could have had that money. [Laughs]
Interviewer: For the same thing?
Vera: Mhm, for the same thing. Yeah, I said golly I could have had that money. [Laughs]