The Houseman

At my part-time job as a maintenance technician for a suburban hotel, I was making the rounds early this morning. It is a full-service hotel with 7 ice machines, whose operation I was checking as part of my walk-through.

I checked the ice machine in the bar, which was closed. As I exited the bar into the hallway, I heard singing. John, the pleasant and hardworking  young black gentleman, was wiping down the mirror, sinks and counter in men's lavatory. He had propped the door open and singing joyfully and vigorously at about 50 decibels.

He was a whirlwind of activity and sound. He was singing "This is how the n**** works."

I yelled at him (I did not notice that he had a device with headphones, playing music."). I asked him if he was singing a rap song, or composing impromptu poetry. He took off the head phones--which I then saw--he said he was just enjoying his music. He immediately put his headphones back on, started singing and started working. I left.

I thought afterwards that what I had witnessed was a way and style of work that no white guy would ever do, or could do. The stereotype of black slaves singing the blues, and building  religious music heritage while working in the fields reveals at work something from African culture and the genetics of its people, unique perspectives at work in  the work lives of blacks.

Just think what this unique approach to blending soul-feeling, music with work while working might lead to if African-Americans introduce this orientation to living lives of individuation.