ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – The Manchester Police Department is investigating an incident of possible racial animus after an African-American woman claims a piece of fried chicken was thrown through her car window.
Alexis Newsome believes she was targeted because she of her race and shared the story on Facebook so others might understand what the experience felt like.
“I don’t want to have to explain this to my five-year-old this is not fair,” she said. “I was scared. I almost crashed into the car next to me. … I want people to understand what this feel like what it’s like It’s not easy living in this brown skin.”
Newsome, a graduate of Parkway High School, received her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Missouri and her master’s degree from Webster University.
She said a person in a red truck threw the chicken piece in the window and nearly hit her in face as she was in the turning lane on Manchester Road to get onto Highway 141. At first, Newsome thought it was an egg shell. She said she was so shocked she didn’t get a better description of the vehicle.
Newsome said there’s only one way to interpret this act and believes it implies a negative connotation.
“It’s almost something I cannot put into words about how I feel as a mom and a woman of color. I want people to have those conversations with people that if they hear a joke, it’s not funny. We are not doing that, we are not going to speak like that. I want people to combat all those types of hate,” she said.
Newsome said police were checking with businesses in the area to see if they captured anything on surveillance video.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Newsome’s emotional Facebook post has received nearly 1,000 views.
