To Whom It May Concern:
Greetings. My name is Elon James White. I'm Black.
I write this letter on behalf of a lot of people that fall into the category of Average Black People. (Yes, I capitalize it, as if it were a title.) I do not claim to represent them because that would be absurd. I really, truly don't. I don't even represent my circle of friends. At any point in time one of my Black buddies will, in fact, tell me to go to hell when speaking on concepts of race, politics, or religion.
I do, however, qualify as an Average Black Person. I am neither a part of the Black intelligentsia, nor do I fall into the category of your garden-variety street Negro. A lot of folks see Black people in one of these two categories. Normally, let's be honest, it's the latter.
I don't qualify.
I do come from "the Hood." That's right. I am a born and bred Brooklynite raised in the middle of Bed-Stuy. If you aren't familiar with Bed-Stuy, perhaps you have never listened to gangster rap. You're probably also unfamiliar with Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, or the thousands of songs that yell out "Brooklyn!" and then give a shout-out to Bed-Stuy. It's fine. Just understand that Bed-Stuy has a primarily negative connotation and for many years was used in boasts to gain respect or fear because it's an incredibly violent environment.
In other words, you could get shot, son.
Speaking of which, I am the son of a single mother. My father is in prison. My grandfather was a pastor and I grew up in the church. I, without shame, also enjoy fried chicken, watermelon, ribs, and orange soda. I can have an incredibly in-depth debate on the best five MCs ever. My credit isn't great and I've been shot.
With facts like this I qualify as a stereotypical Black person right?
But I am also a computer programmer. I've been known to quote Nietzsche. I, on occasion, host dinner parties where I serve five-course meals, including a specialty of mine, White Truffle Tilapia (it's delightful). I have the entire John Williams discography and wear a backpack that is emblazoned with the Thundercats insignia.
Those with one half of that story shake their head at the sheer mass of stereotypes I carry. Then those with the other half question if I even understand the Black experience at all. Some refer to me as someone who "made it out." I currently live in Crown Heights. Some say "You're not like the others." Most people I interact with are very similar to me.
I am an Average Black Person.
So, as an ABP, I have a few requests:
Media.
Please stop referring to blacks as a monolith. I can't possibly express to you the different types of Black people that exist. We neither move as an entity, nor do we move as three or four entities. For every Sharpton, there's a Steele. And for every Sharpton and Steele there are a hundred folks in the middle. What we share is a past, which on occasion helps shape our view on things. Also? Obama is not a unicorn. Please stop acting like Obama and his family are magical in the Black community. Just because some of you may not have seen a Negro like this doesn't mean they don't exist. Lots of smart black folk living with their smart mates and their cute smart kids. So please remember. Obama? Not a unicorn. Black people? Not one voice: I don't care what the supposed Black leaders try to claim.
Supposed Black Leaders.
Please stop speaking for us as if we were a monolith. This is not the 1960s. We don't need a Martin Luther King, Jr. or a Malcom X. You speak for yourselves and your view on what's happening. You also can't police black people. There isn't an us. Are there issues within the Black community? Absolutely, but it's not everybody as much as it is certain groups, most time classes that are in need of help and focus. Hence you can't speak for "Blacks." There are people who need your help and don't want you speaking for them. Oh, and for the love of all that is holy, could you please stop critiquing Obama simply to show you aren't drinking the kool-aid? I get it. You're sugar-free. Got it.
Critics Of Obama.
Hey, um...guess what Black people are not? A monolith. We are not holding Obama on a pedestal. Some critique him harshly (and personally I feel unjustly) and others love him. This is the case with every president. Obama is not the spokesperson for Black people. He is a symbol of hope. He is a symbol of opportunity in a land where opportunity for us seemed nonexistent. He's a symbol of a fight where people cried and died and sacrificed in order for the opportunity for him to exist. But his actions are his actions and have to be judged. Just not four months after he walked in the door with one of the worst clean up jobs in the countries history. You may critique him without critiquing Blacks' ability to critique him.
The hypocrisy of saying we are not One, and yet speaking for the exact group for which I just emphatically denied exists, is not lost on me. Perhaps there are Black people who absolutely want to be spoken for and referred to as if we were one big team. I acknowledge the possibility, but if this was the majority people like Dyson and Smiley would be way more important, and let's be honest: they aren't. I hope that my message is clear. After reading this, the next time you talk to a Black person you can feel comfortable in now knowing with every fiber of your being that you have no clue what they think or feel based on their skin color.
But if they're wearing a Soulja Boy shirt you may disregard this essay and judge them immediately.
Follow Elon James White on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@elonjames
Would that not also qualify you as being the average gay person? :P
I'm a white dude from Canada where black folk still qualify for "visible minority" status. If you're a young black person and move to a Canadian town, you might expect to be treated as a bit of a curiosity, and the white kids may even compete for your attention before the novelty wears off. My family doctor was the head of one of the few black families in my home town.
I grew up mainly in small towns, but now reside in a major Canadian city (relatively speaking) where black folk are somewhat better represented within the overall population, however, not one of my closest friends happens to be black - at least not yet...probably because I'm a bit of nerd these days and don't get out as often as I should.
Dare I make the generalization that black folk often have a superbly unique sense of humor? I say that only because out of the black folk I've met, they more often than not seem to be in tune with my quirky sense of humor in a way that many of the white folk I meet are not.
Maybe not in your neighborhood but they are doing everything short of building cathedrals to him in my city.
In a perfect world I'd like to have my cake and eat it, too. I personally believe that "we" can collectively and fundamentally identify with one another without having or needing to function as a monolith. How awesome would it be if more people understood that each and every individual black person has their own defining events, emotions, perspectives, etc. that make "the black experience" in this country a unique one for them, no matter how similar their life circumstances may be to other black people? (And I'm speaking for myself because I'm black, but I bet a whole lot of other minorities feel this way.)
Having said that, I'm thankful that I can even have this dialogue with my friends who aren't black. They can be tough discussions and we may not singing "kumbaya" at the end, but I consider myself lucky.
It's an important self check to have but it's interesting how prejudice & other complexes seep into the human subconscious that it becomes harder to detect. Worth trying.
First, let me state that I too, rather enjoyed your essay. It was concise, funny and sharp. It made obvious statements, who only became obvious after you had made them. That is a feat.
As you can see by my moniker, I am coloured and I live in Europe, even born here. I don't think you would doubt it, but just tobe sure, let me mention that Obama is huge here. Or rather, the concept of him as president. We love himfaaaar more thanyou, he'd have wonthe election with80% here. To me personally, it's like myfavourite football-team (no! it's NOT soccer, dude!;-) winning thematch everyday: In my personal life, hiswinning won't change a thing, but justthinking aboutit puts asmile on my face. What you say about Obama being an exception in the black community, reminds what white Europeans thought about the Cosby-show: a black family with a doctor for a father and a lawyer for a mother was a mere fantasy, that it didn't exist in real life.
Aboutthe general line of your essay: I wholly agree. In fact, Idon't have a single criticism, which is odd, since I'm very recalcitrant by-nature . Maybe it has to do with the fact that I too have a university degree but still lives in "the hood". Which admittedly is whole lot less of a challenge than Bedford-Stuyvesant, but still.
Keep it up, I will try to keep up with your writings.
The CEO (Coloured European Observer)
Perhaps Jackson and Sharpton speaks for you but there are many, many, may Blacks that would say otherwise. Perhaps its not about me getting off the "The Black Wagon" as much as you understanding that its not actually as you perceive it.
Funny enough, i didn't speak NEGATIVELY of Sharpton and Jessie specifically. I spoke to a group that seems to be the constant representives, self appointed or media deemed, Black people.
And if you believe what i've currently stated is a "Utopia" I fear this proves more than anything I could have said that we are not apart of the same group and as such should not be spoken for or to in that way.
My personal story is not similar, but the experiences and observations are.
Fist bump ??!!! zomg !!
Bravo my good fellow ! :)
*i just made that up. Thank you.