Minority Issues

This Lawyer (And Former Bachelorette Contestant) Says He Was Racially Profiled While Jogging

Lawyer says he was profiled for jogging while Black.

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Josiah Graham

It’s a sad reality that just being out and about in your neighborhood can be a death sentence for Black people. And it was the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin that went through the mind of attorney Josiah Graham when he says he was profiled by a security guard in his neighborhood.

Graham, who also appeared on season 13 of the Bachelorette, recently moved to a gated community in Parkland, Florida, with his fiancee. He says he was on a late night jog when a private security SUV made a u-turn to follow him. Graham says he was approached by a security guard, who was also Black. He posted a video of the encounter on his Instagram stories, with the caption, “It be your own people” and some facepalm emojis.

Graham tells Local 10:

“It’s a weird feeling to think that someone assumes you don’t belong,” Graham says. “People who have — who suffer from preconceived notions, or certain biases and prejudices — that’s not unique to the white community. Sometimes, the black community subscribes to those same notions.”

And he says, while he understands why there is security, how they do that job is important:

“I get the importance of having someone who does their job the right way,” Graham says. “However, that should not mean that other people are targeted, or approached or stopped unnecessarily based on how they look.”

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And, of course Graham has already written to the security company, Allied Universal, “wanting to know what actions, if any, would be taken regarding the incident.” And requesting information about bias training to ensure similar incidents don’t happen in the future. Allied Universal has not made a statement about the interaction.

Graham says the experience has encouraged him to get involved with the homeowner’s association.

You can see Graham’s video of the incident below.

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headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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