Written January 20, 2009 on Facebook.
The last few days have been
mind blowing reflecting on Dr. King and the events that will take place in just
a few hours. I have listened to so many people openly discuss everything from
their love for Dr. King to their frustration with Obama. For the most part it
was all talk of pride, joy and a dream finally fulfilled. And I was happy to
engage in these conversations and give my two cents when and where I could. But
in a room filled with Black people just having fun and keeping it light someone
blurted out "We are about to have the first Black president sworn in just
a few days." My heart jumped, smiles filled the room and people were excited.
Then a woman remarks “Yeah, but he is not really Black”.
Being that Obama is “Black like me” (definition –
has one Black parent and one white, or what I like to call Black with benefits)
I was very offended. Honestly I usually don’t care when people make these
foolish statements because if I did I would have spent a great portion of my
childhood mad. But this week is too huge to let this ignorance slide.
Multi-ethnic people like myself who are biologically ½ Black spend the majority
of their lives being thrown into whatever category fits for the people who bring
their race into the matter.
If we do something wrong or break a law, procreate at a young unmarried age, struggle in school or make the evening news for some illegal act, we are BLACK. No one runs behind the story and says “Yeah, He looks Black but his momma is White.” Or “Another darker complected White girl just had a baby outside of marriage and so now your taxes have to go up.” In every negative scenario we are just as Black as the Black next person.
So we walk the streets in a society that looks at us as Black, and we live that way. But as soon as we do something great like, oh I don’t know, become the 44th president of the United States of America, everyone makes sure our complete heritage is mentioned enough times so there is no mistaking that a Black person and a White person were involved in the creation of said person. Whenever we win it all, beat the odds, make a difference or a lot of money we become some complex racial being of more than just run of the mill Black.
We also spend a great deal of our lives having the people who walk beside us in the racial indifference that still resonates in this country, look at us differently as well. We have been the topic of many talks that went something like “Oh she thinks she is better than me because she is half white”. In all honesty, to those of you who feel that way, I am better than you, not because my DNA or curly hair, but because of my heart.
But if we openly say we are more than just Black (Mariah, Tiger…) we are looked at as the race traitors of the new millennium, or poor confused Black people. Not people who have chosen to openly express their full culture up front.
When you don’t know me and you look at me I am Black. When you do know me and my family tree I am still Black. No matter what you think or say or do I am a strong proud Black woman who had the privilege of being raised and loved by a strong proud man who by the grace of God is White. I am in no way shunning a portion of my heritage. If you hang out with me long enough you may get some Kringler or other Swedish yummy, know that I am proud to be of Scandinavian decent, and that I can hold my own in a crowd full of any kind of people. All of this is because I have embraced who I am and all of the elements that made me that way.
So in a few minutes I will fully enjoy watching the first Black President of the United States of America take his rightful place at the head of this broken nation! I hope you see the same man I see today!
PS- Thank you to Solidad O'Brian for taking this concept to the masses!!
If we do something wrong or break a law, procreate at a young unmarried age, struggle in school or make the evening news for some illegal act, we are BLACK. No one runs behind the story and says “Yeah, He looks Black but his momma is White.” Or “Another darker complected White girl just had a baby outside of marriage and so now your taxes have to go up.” In every negative scenario we are just as Black as the Black next person.
So we walk the streets in a society that looks at us as Black, and we live that way. But as soon as we do something great like, oh I don’t know, become the 44th president of the United States of America, everyone makes sure our complete heritage is mentioned enough times so there is no mistaking that a Black person and a White person were involved in the creation of said person. Whenever we win it all, beat the odds, make a difference or a lot of money we become some complex racial being of more than just run of the mill Black.
We also spend a great deal of our lives having the people who walk beside us in the racial indifference that still resonates in this country, look at us differently as well. We have been the topic of many talks that went something like “Oh she thinks she is better than me because she is half white”. In all honesty, to those of you who feel that way, I am better than you, not because my DNA or curly hair, but because of my heart.
But if we openly say we are more than just Black (Mariah, Tiger…) we are looked at as the race traitors of the new millennium, or poor confused Black people. Not people who have chosen to openly express their full culture up front.
When you don’t know me and you look at me I am Black. When you do know me and my family tree I am still Black. No matter what you think or say or do I am a strong proud Black woman who had the privilege of being raised and loved by a strong proud man who by the grace of God is White. I am in no way shunning a portion of my heritage. If you hang out with me long enough you may get some Kringler or other Swedish yummy, know that I am proud to be of Scandinavian decent, and that I can hold my own in a crowd full of any kind of people. All of this is because I have embraced who I am and all of the elements that made me that way.
So in a few minutes I will fully enjoy watching the first Black President of the United States of America take his rightful place at the head of this broken nation! I hope you see the same man I see today!
PS- Thank you to Solidad O'Brian for taking this concept to the masses!!
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