No I’m Not a Self-Hater Because I Don’t Agree With You, — You Don’t Determine My Blackness
Good time of day readers,
My name is Shaquan McDowell. I am 19 years old, awaiting my twentieth birthday in July, and as you may be able to guess, I am a college student at Brandeis University. I am originally from South Carolina, raised in Atlanta, and I currently run a political youth organization called “The Purple Party”. I act. I speak. I write, and I do many things in between. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, in case you haven’t noticed by my picture : Im black.
Or at least that’s where I tend to fall on the inaccurate and overly simplified view of race and ethnicity that the large majority of our society subscribes to, despite the legitimate presence of substantial admixture in many African-American genealogies, including my own. It’s peculiar to me that we still operate within the bounds of a “One Drop Rule” ideology, although it is one of the most heavily critiqued practices of the 19th and 20th centuries. This, however, is a completed different conversation and requires a discussion all in itself , separate from the intention of this piece.
Rather than talk about the ridiculousness of our rigid view of racial lines, I’d like to discuss a problem brewing within one of them; the one which I am most heavily associated and identify : the black community. The problem I’m referring to: A increasingly developing idea that one member of the black community has the authority to determine another’s blackness, and through some mystical power has the ability to render the other individuals black identity illegitimate.
Don’t look at the computer sideways , this issue is very much so existent. When individuals such as Raven Symone, Stacey Dash, Ben Carson, and others can be told they aren’t wanted by the black community, then there is a serious problem. In fact, I’ve experienced it myself. In various forms or fashion I’m been criticized of not accepting my blackness, not being black enough, or not understanding what “blackness” means. Most of these comments stem from other members of the black community, but whats perplexing is that I’ve also received such comments from individuals branded as “white allies”. The bulk of these critiques come on the heel of me expressing opinions which many feel to deviate from the vast majority of the black community or expressing an attempt to understand various sides of debates of racial tensions, and not just completely side with a person or people because they are black. If you haven’t been able to tell, I’m quite opinionated and I’m totally against limiting my personal opinion because someone feels as if I should hold a certain position because of the way my skin produces melanin.
This here is what triggers the me “not accepting my blackness” analysis of who I am. If you’re confused by that statement , then don’t feel ignorant, I was confused as well for the longest. Basically what these individuals are implying is that because I (or whomever is being referred) don’t follow the same path of thought of other black people, there must exist a problem with rejection of identity. Why? Well because according to these individuals the collective/common experiences of oppression and rejection which have been forced onto the African Diaspora , should produce a population who subscribe to the same mode of pondering. If an individual does not, they must obviously (this is sarcasm) not be “accepting” who they are. Heres my problem with this chain of thought, however. For 1) It follows a position which insists that every black individual on earth will have the same experiences, which is simply not the case. Though it is likely that we will endure similar circumstances generated by similar factors, this does not equate to a unified understanding. It is egregious to assert that “blackness” be constrained to such a rigid interpretation: who made this interpretation the be all end of all , of what it means to be black? Can someone point me in their direction, because I’d be extremely interested in challenging them on their definition. 2. It penalizes black individuals for engaging in free thought and utilizing a mind of their own. No matter how much we like to think of ourselves as apart of this group (which don’t get me wrong, we are), we’re born as individuals first. Because of such, we are allowed to have individual thought that differs from that of said group, and it doesn’t make anyone any less part of the group. It’s an atrocity to insist that an individual be expelled or lacks sufficient embracing of apart of themselves, because they don’t agree with everyone else.
It is also just as damaging and distasteful to insist this individual of free though is ignorant or a “Self-hater” because they’re bases aren’t mainstream. Im gonna use two individuals who’ve currently been allocated this phrase in popular culture, to make my point: Stacey Dash and Raven Symone. In recent months (weeks even) both of these stars have been slandered, bullied, and branded as ‘self-haters” because of their positions. I’d now like to ask, how? I have never heard either of them suggest in any form or fashion that in someway they are ashamed or regretful of their blackness. Never. What I have heard, though, is two women express controversial views which in many cases, differ from how many of the black community sees the situation. This doesn’t make them less black and it doesn’t call their blackness into question, all it does is mean they are a minority view in the majority view of the community. Nevertheless, they still are part of the community.
Point blank period is this: When a person is born black, whether you interpret this as having partial or full black ancestry, they become a permanent holder of their “blackness” and it is no ones right or authority to suggest otherwise. Why? Because an individuals blackness is not contingent on someone else’s opinions, positions, or platforms — — whether its one or the majority. Oh and no, just because they don’t agree with you, does not make them a self hater. An individuals blackness is tied to who they are, its engrained in their DNA, and it manifests itself in a multitude of forms. It is not constrained to one definition, and therefore when it comes to someones “blackness”, its just not up for debate. So let’s do everyone a favor and stop implying someone else can judge another’s blackness. Thanks.
