When Rosalynd Harris went to work, she was on a high after participating in the Women’s March in Washington D.C. What she didn’t know was that her day was about to get a lot better — all thanks to the person she’d least likely suspect.
Jason White walked into Busboys and Poets, a restaurant in D.C. that promotes social justice. Before entering, he decided to remove his “Make America Great Again” hat.
White and his two friends are from Texas. They were in town for the inauguration, as well as for the march, and to watch the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington Cemetery. He knew he and his friends probably stood out in the diner decorated with African-American art.
When Harris greeted White and his friends, she was as cheery and friendly as ever. They chatted for a while and had a light-hearted conversation. White even complimented her beautiful, contagious smile. After hearing they were from West Texas, White was sure that Harris would judge them.
Surprisingly, Harris admits that White was right. She did prejudge the men by thinking they were only in town for the inauguration. However, this didn’t change her demeanor or attitude toward them.
After finishing their meal, Harris presented them with a bill for $72.60. White wrote in a $450 tip, along with a heartwarming note of unity.
Accompanying the 625% tip, Harris was moved when she read White’s kind words.
“We may come from different cultures and may disagree on certain issues, but if everyone would share their smile and kindness like your beautiful smile, our country will come together as one people,” the note reads. “Not race. Not gender. Just American. God Bless!”
White told The Washington Post that he chose to tip $450 as a tip of the hat to the 45h president. He’s hoping that his generous gesture will inspire others to move forward together. Even though White didn’t tell his friends what he’d done at the time, he’d been so moved by all of the patriotism he’d seen, he felt it was something he had to do.
“We have to think about being better Americans, we have to look into ourselves and how we treat one another,” he said. “If everyone did a little something to show respect…we can love one another.”
The men were gone before Harris had seen the note; she hadn’t seen the tip until after reading the moving message. White’s generosity overwhelmed the hardworking waitress. The money came at a time when she really needed it, she was in need of money for a new apartment and had picked up extra work shifts to cover it.
“You automatically assume if someone supports Trump that they have ideas about you,” she said, “but [the customer was] more embracing than even some of my more liberal friends, and there was a real authenticity in our exchange.”
White reflected on his actions and wants Harris, and others, to know that they probably have a lot more in common than one would assume.
“As I sat there I thought about the entire weekend and I thought I don’t know her, she doesn’t know me, but if most Americans have a preconceived perception about people then we’re never going to get better,” he said.
“We rise by lifting others” is the caption that accompanied the photo of the receipt. White explains more about his actions in the video below.
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