In 2018, Louis Vuitton announced that the company had appointed Virgil Abloh as its new artistic director of menswear. It was a triumphant moment for Virgil, streetwear, and a new generation of designers and customers. 

One day, as Virgil was going to work, he was denied entry by a security guard. When Virgil recalled this moment, he said, “I’m not offended by the security guard who, ironically we’re the same ethnicity, but he thinks that I don’t belong there. That’s too low level to get distracted by the larger goal.” 

This experience doesn’t happen to everyone. It’s not right. It happened to Virgil, and it might happen to you. 

What I took away from Virgil is this: you can decide what moments like this mean to you. You can choose to get worked up about a misunderstanding or minor injustice. You can also choose to shrug it off, and stay focused on your goals. 

You can choose to see yourself differently from how other people see you, even if you share the same ethnicity or have other attributes in common with them.

You have a choice to see the world differently from them as well. In fact, it’s more useful for you to find other people who can expand your view of the world.

I found this quote in Robin Givhan’s delightful biography on Virgil Abloh, entitled, Make It Ours. Highly recommended!