I'm being excluded in a newly formed friend group and I'm suspecting that it's racism...

Support/Advice 🫂

Hello! I've been following this sub for a while now, and this is my first time posting. I'm having a dilemma, and I'm unsure of how to interpret this situation. I (30F, Black) joined a woman- and non-binary-focused board game group that is mainly comprised of white and Asian women. I am usually the only black woman in the room. There might be 1 or 2 others, but they aren't regulars. In this group, I quickly formed a connection with L (25NB, Asian). We live right next door to each other, and we met on my very first day, hitting it off immediately. After a few weeks, we met A (26F, White) and N (27F, Asian). Right off the bat, I had some awkward interactions with A, and I didn't click with her the same way that I did with the others. She hosted a pool party at her apartment a week after we met, and during this event, she was acting a bit strange, but I chalked it up to not knowing each other. Another woman and I were the only black people at this event, which had about 30 attendees. I live in a predominantly white city, so I'm used to this, but I did feel out of place.

The real issues began a few days after the pool party. A invited the whole group to a movie showing on a Tuesday night. This event was in the middle of a hectic and important work week for me, and I unfortunately had to cancel the night before. I messaged A, but they left me on read. I was a little taken aback since we have all been responsive to each other, but I tried not to take it too personally. I am a lot closer to L, and they let me know that they also cancelled on A the morning of the event (so later than me). The following week at board games, I saw A and the rest of the group, and I immediately apologized to A. She was being very awkward and standoffish, and right after my apology, N turned to A and said, "Oh yeah, I'm going to be bringing chips and dip to the get-together." A looked embarrassed and turned to me and said, "Oh yeah, I'm having a little get together at my house, I didn't invite you because I didn't think you'd want to come. You can come if you want." I politely declined, but I'm not gonna lie, I was hurt. Later that evening, L told me that they were invited. Now, I would like some advice on this. L and I have known A for the same amount of time. L told me that A responded to their cancellation message AND invited them to their get-together. A seems to like L a lot, but has been awkward around me from the beginning.

A few pieces of context for A.

- I have felt disconnected from A since I met them. I usually have a gut feeling that something is off with them, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

- We live in a pretty "progressive" city, so politics come up in conversationsoften. A gets noticeably quiet during these convos.

- A has shown annoyance with only me on a few occasions that felt disproportionate to what was happening, for example: when we play board games, it can get loud and lively - my voice went up (along with the others). A says, "Wow, we're being really loud," while looking at me. N, L, and I apologized, and A quickly changed their tune, saying, "You don't have to apologize!". It felt weirdly pointed.

All of this has happened over the span of 2 weeks. L and I have not spent enough time with A to justify excluding me and not L when we BOTH cancelled at the last minute, leaving A in a lurch. Why am I the only one being "punished" for that?

I'm not sure if my assessment is correct, but A is excluding me for a reason I'm not aware of. Am I crazy for thinking it's my race? It seems like A wants this friend group, but they don't want me to be a part of it. Just yesterday, they sent me a courtesy invite, and when I responded, they left me on read. Again. At this point, I'm done with A, but N is a bit closer to A and seems to be taking my distance from A as a sign of me causing drama.

conversation often
What do you all think? Am I overreacting and misreading the situation?

TLDR: I joined a board game group where I met L, N, and A. Recently, A has been acting strangely. After L and I canceled our plans at the last minute, A ignored my text and excluded me from a get-together while inviting L instead. Typically, A is quiet during political discussions and gives off a weird energy, and she is specifically excluding me from the group.

Posted Oct 5, 2025, 4:05 AM UTC

3150
Loading comments…