A Black Woman’s Biases
2007
Some of you know that I teach freshmen and seniors at a Christian, college-preparatory school. A couple of days each week for one period are dedicated as assembly periods. This past Friday, February 2nd, our assembly featured a wonderful African drumming ensemble called “The Drum Cafe.” Their performances are designed to promote interactivity while emphasizing not only the power of diversity but the power of unity within that diversity as well.
Because it is billed as an African drumming ensemble, I thought that having them perform would be a great way to begin Black History Month, a month that many schools throughout the country celebrate in some way. When I sat down, I noticed three people from the ensemble were on the stage who had taken to their drums that morning – two men (one who was African-American and one who was West African) and one woman (who was white, South African). That was okay, until the white woman got up to lead the group – the Drum Cafe as well as our assembly of students and faculty.
That scene grated me.
Why, you ask?
As a Black woman who teaches at a predominately white school, I was uncomfortable with the fact that the Black men were in the background while the white woman was in the foreground “leading” us in rhythm and dance. I felt personally slighted that the Black men seemed to have been forced to take a subordinate role. I felt uncomfortable because the white kids at the school didn’t experience any of the leadership the Black men could have provided other than participating in the beating of the drums (though extremely vital and crucial to the success of the performance).
So during this performance, at a school that places hardly any emphasis on the importance and value of Black History Month, I was faced with my own prejudices, my own stereotypes. Trying to take into consideration that here was a woman who was on the side of justice, not the side of bigotry. Trying to see that she could have symbolized the tearing down of the walls of racism. Trying to see that there are lots of people in the world that value what people of color have to offer.
I don’t go around looking for bigotry and racism everywhere I go. Nevertheless, with the emphasis on race surrounding the upcoming Democratic primary and presidential race, the fact that the Super Bowl featured two Black coaches, being in a great school that unfortunately doesn’t take to Black History Month well, and the conversations swirling around it all, I tend to get a bit sensitive. I’m just confessing – yes, as a Black woman, I, too, have my biases.
(The performance was great, by the way…)
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Its easy to pretend all racists are white hill billy’s eh? Not so easy to admit you are one.
I am sorry that you were unable to see this woman for who she is instead of what color she is, but I commend you for trying. Here’s hoping that your efforts to overcome your biases are ultimately successful.
Admitit, I do not admit to being a racist at all…in fact, if you take a look at what racism is actually about, it’s about power. One people attempting to lord it over another because of perceived traits due to color. I withhold something from you (job, school, whatever) because you are Black, Hispanic, Asian, etc. That’s racism. In no way do I have the power to withhold something from you because you are White.
What I am acknowledging here, which is hard for non-minorities to recognize (and I hope you can read what I’m actually saying here), is that I am a Black woman who knows racism. I know that we have a history in this country to which many (not all) Whites have contributed. And that is what I’m referring to here. Black men are scapegoats in this country, and I see it everyday. So forgive me (no, don’t, because I don’t apologize for it) if I happen to want to see Black men doing what they are called to do, instead of being put down just because of the color of their skin. I recognize this still goes on in 2007 in the United States, and it hurts me. It hurts me because I know Black men who experience this racism regularly for no other reason than their skin is brown. It hurts. And it is that which I am reacting to.
Justin, I do not not recognize this woman for who she is. In fact, if you read the post, I acknowledge that she doesn’t stand for bigotry and hatred. In fact, she was on the side of promoting equality of all peoples. So I do acknowledge that. As I acknowledge there are many people of all races that are fighting for the equality of us all.
Admitit, you put your own foot in your mouth. Who said that “all racists are white hillbillies”? Kwiz didn’t. So why did you? One cannot be a “racist” if one lacks “both” the “power and authority” to institutionalize a hypocritical system of “white supremacy” that condoned the legalized practice of slavery, hatred, and bigotry. A racist is an ignorant person who has the ability to establish laws, customs, practices, and policies that favor one “ethnic” group over another. It, therefore, doesn’t pass the common sense test that a “non-white” person can become a blatant “racist” or an under cover “white nationalist.”
“Systemic institutionalized racism” is predicated on the fatally flawed prejudicial belief that “white people” are somehow “superior to “non-white people. According to the Bible, even God is not a respecter of persons. So why are How many powerful “non-white” people do you know sitting in lofty positions of influence have the authority to treat “white people” as 3/5 of a person? Under color of law, why did one too many “white people” believe it was morally, politically, and socially acceptable to turn a blind eye to the fundamentally unfair treatment Blacks received the U.S. Constitution got amended to make slavery and bigotry a felony?
Until you know how it feels to walk down a street and watch a “racist” murder you with the hatred in their eyes, you will lack the intellectual acuity to understand the statement Kwiz made. Until you know how it feel to be treated the way I, as a Black man, is still being treated today, you will lack the courage to speak truth to power in the spirit of love. Admitit, I heard no love in your poor choice of words. I only heard sarcasm. Before I go, how many undercover racists do you personally know still operating under color of law? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. got murdered before enough of the right people faced their own fears and embraced Change.
Feel free to visit http://www.whenleastexpected.com to get some insight and a different perspective about something you clearly don’t understand. By the way, it’s not just a “Black Thang.” If you choose to do so, you can walk a mile in my shoes long enough to share the pain Kwiz felt and expressed merely to provoke thought in a loving way. As always, the choice to pick up the unduly burdensome cross Black men carried with dignity and class is yours alone to make. Maybe then, you’ll end the violence of you betrayal of silence and apologize to Kwiz for your sarcastic remark. If not then, only God knows when.
May the peace of God be with each of you today.