All the TVs were in one area of the showroom. Back in the '60s, I remember that there was very little color programming on TVs till later in the day or early evening, depending on what stations were early adopters of color cameras and technology. So you could watch a color TV in the morning at your house and most shows were in B&W and then when you got home from work, you could see a few stations in color.
Yes, the salesman showed my dad a B&W TV and told him it was color.
Is there thing that indicates that this is the reason you were treated this way?
Back in the early 90s' a unit on my base was about 3/4 white and 1/4 black. The monthly, quarterly and annual award winners were always black. Only blacks were given accelerated merit promotions (E-5 Below-the-Zone) and STEP Promotion nominations.
The black squadron commander of this unit publicly said "I don't like white boys." It was well known throughout the wing that he was a bigot. Nobody up the chain had the balls to call him on this (Doncha just love PC BS?) and the behavior was never corrected.
Would you say that the commander's behavior was based in racism?
Let's go back to your story. The salesman may have tried to con your family due to racism. He may have thought your father wasn't too bright and did this to anyone who he believed wasn't too bright, regardless of race.
Do you have anything more than the fact that (I assume) this man was white and he tried to rip off a black family? Would you have felt better if it had been a black guy who tried to rip off your family?
I don't know why he did it and I don't think you really know why, either.