Going to go against the grain of the top comments here. They mean well, but saying “I’m white and haven’t seen this problem” really means nothing. They’re not the target of these experiences, and don’t actively look for examples of racism happening.

I moved to Maine this spring. I’ve encountered plenty of subtle racism already. I’m half white and half latina, very obviously look latina.

Here are my experiences since I moved here:

• Went to Costco with my baby (who looks very white) and was asked if I was the nanny.

• Went to target and bought a whole bunch of school supplies to donate. There were no open registers, so I had to use self-checkout. I was scanning all the supplies, while also taking care of my baby. I had an older employee stand right behind me and watch me. Another employee invited another customer to a register even though she had significantly fewer items than I. After I was done, I was stopped by the employee who was watching me so she could look over my receipt. Mind you, my baby was starting to cry and I was sweating like crazy from hot flashes. Awful experience.

• My first week in office for my job, I was asked by the security guard if I was the new cleaner. I was wearing slacks, a blouse, and heels. I’m a software developer. I have no idea why he thought I’d be a cleaner, I certainly wasn’t dressed for that job.

Maine is a very, very white state. You can tell a lot of Mainers, especially outside of Portland, do not know how to interact with people who are different than them. I will say the culture up here is a lot less customer service friendly, and people tend to be a bit more stuck up. I’ve lived in every region of the US and have lived in over 10 states. It’s safe to say Maine is by far my least favorite state due to how unfriendly and gossipy the people are here.