"So lots of folk - mostly non-black - say Obama's not black, he's biracial, multiracial, black-and-white, anything but just black. Because his mother was white. But race is not biology; race is sociology. Race is not genotype; race is phenotype. Race matters because of racism. And racism is absurd because it's about how you look. Not about the blood you have. It's about the shade of your skin and the shape of your nose and the kink of your hair. Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass had white fathers. Imagine them saying they were not black." - Passage "Is Obama Anything but Black?" From Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, page 338, 2013 (Alfred Knopf)
Something about this passage stuck out for me, especially in light of Ferguson, New York, and gentrification. Racism, no matter how "post-racial" some Americans think we are, is still alive and well. Why do I still cringe when I go through nice neighborhoods, even though I went to school in nice areas? Why do I feel all eyes on me when I go to a bank? I learned a long time ago: being black, it never matters how successful, smart, or savvy you are; it doesn't matter how intelligent you sound or how many titles/degrees you have behind your name; to someone somewhere, you're still at the bottom of the totem pole.
I hate that, when we move in nice areas, the idea of white flight comes to mind, because "we bring down property values." Never mind that we have nice areas, too, that appreciate in value.
I'd love to live in a society where race isn't important, where it's not the first thing you see, or where the first question is, "what color was he/she?" I'd love to live in a society where minorities are nothing but caricatures or Halloween costumes for a majority because it's funny or cute. I'd love to live in a society that wonders if I got a job or a spot at an Ivy League school because of affirmative action, or where I don't have to worry about being shot first with no questions asked, no right to a jury (of our peers), no "my side of the story." I'd love to live in a society where I see myself on TV doing positive things, like finding cures, building bridges and computer programs, or uplifting people, instead of the ratchedness of sisters tearing each other down behind crazy stuff, or girls in videos trying to prove something.
But I don't.
Yes, race is more sociological than biological, for the simple fact that we make it more of a social issue than anything. Never mind that, at some point, we all started from the same two people in the same place. People place such a negative connotation on Africa, on being from Africa. Never mind that Africa is the birthplace of mankind, of knowledge, of architecture. People faint at the thought of even having an ounce of black in them. To me, all shades of people are beautiful. I wouldn't take anything away from someone being proud of who they are, their heritage. Nor do I condone people putting other cultures down, or insulting them by painting themselves as another culture in the name of mockery.
But, I am proud to be who I am. I look in pride when I see people in other cultures who are as dark as me, or darker. A part of me doesn't know if it is because I didn't see a lot of these images growing up, but my heart skips a beat to see beautiful black skin. That, to me, is pride.
And, while I cannot ignore the blatant ignorance and bigotry of some, I will continue to live in love of myself, love of my people, love of everyone out there, and love of life. That, to me, is the kind of sociology that should be taught.
Sent from my BlackBerry®
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