Black people with self-esteem are often told by unenlightened Whites–even some individuals who are liberal and friendly–that we are not “really Black.” In telling us this, these Whites do not see themselves as expressing racism; they feel they are offering us a special place. Yet there is, in these words, an attempt to seduce us away from loving Blackness, to undermine the very self-esteem that, by its existence, eliminates White supremacist domination.
This paragraph reminded me of the time one of my friends and I were discussing my being on BSA's minority panel and she said, "I don't think of you as a minority, you're just my friend." I thought that was quite a revealing statement. Maybe a few years ago, I would've been pleased to hear one of my white friends say that, but now it simply causes me to cringe. Mostly because I've been developing a stronger sense of self-esteem in regards to my blackness and it makes me more frustrated than anything that my being confident in being black is so inconsistent with the stereotypes of blackness that I'm not really seen as black.
While I don't think my friend, or many of the people who say these, "But I don't think of you as black," kind of statements are trying to offend, I don't think they're taking into account the unique experience that is had by minorities in a predominately white environment. Perhaps the dialogue started by Dr. Tatum's book will help to further expose and reveal differences that all too often seem to be ignored by whites, and build more trust on both sides.
2 comments:
I'm currently reading a book entitled "Liberating Jonah" by Dr. Miguel De La Torre, and he offers an interesting opinion about people who offer color blindness as a solution to racism. He writes:
"During the 1960s, the civil rights movement in the United States ... radically challenged the way nonwhites were seen. Nevertheless, racial hegemony was preserved by repackaging white supremacy under the concept of 'color blindness'."
I think it is an interesting point to ponder that the naivete with which many people approach race (and I mean people of all races, because I've heard some persons of color make similar comments) is actually a means by which racial domination can continue to be imposed on those who have traditionally been disenfranchised. What better way to continue racism that by refusing to acknowledge the very thing that propels it?
I completely understand what you are talking about. I go to a predomiatly white school and because I do not act "black" people always say they dod not view me as black. First of all, I want to know what makes one black? Obviously they do not consider my skin color to be the determining factor. Maybe it is because I speak in grammatically correct sentences. I do not understand how that makes me not black. I am proud to be a Black American and a Carribean American. No matter how I talk or act I am Black and I am proud of it.
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