One of the experiences that
often makes being “Black” so lonely is the fact that dissention seems to be
everywhere. We are at risk of being discriminated against by “White” people and
by other Blacks. I call this the “Blackened Blues.” My experience with this
phenomenon began in junior high school, in the 8o’s—when all of a sudden, it
became en vogue to be anything other than a “Black American.” Suddenly, people
starting “coming out” as being “Jamaican.” In the 80’s, all Black immigrants
were thought to be from Jamaica. A few years later, people started realizing
that all “Black immigrants” (more on this term later) weren’t from Jamaica.
People
that I had been friends with for years suddenly revealed they were not
“American.” It was crazy. Then, the trend of referring to North American Blacks—Blacks
whose parentage and direct ancestry is not related to the Caribbean and
Continental Africa—as “Black Americans” began. The idea behind referring to
North American Blacks as “Black Americans” was West Indians’ first attempt at
disassociating themselves from “other” Blacks. This lasted for a few years,
before West Indians discovered that they looked and sounded silly calling
“other” Black people “Black Americans,” when they too were Black and in
America. Prior to this, “Black” people
in North America were referred to as “Black,” “Afro-American,” or
“African-American.” In fact, I recall that in the 80’s, Jesse Jackson led a
campaign to refer to “Blacks” as “African-Americans.” If my memory is serving
me correctly, a movement began at this time to make “American” the suffix of
nationalities for people who reside in America.
So we started calling people “Caucasian-American,” “Asian-American,”
“Italian-American,” and so forth.
Now,
I find that some Blacks—West Indians and Continental Africans—have commenced a
campaign to convince White people that the term “African-American” only refers
to North American Blacks—Blacks born, and, or, raised, in one of the 50 states. This campaign is ridiculous for a number of
reasons. First, all Blacks whether they
want to be or not, are descendants of Africa. Many Blacks are ashamed of their African
heritage, and go to great lengths to convince others that they are “Black—but
not that kind of Black.” Before any “African-American” was American, they were
African—and are only African-American by way of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade,
which most believe occurred between 1525 and 1857. Similarly, West Indians/Caribbeans are West Indian by way
of the Slave Trade. To be clear: Enslaved Africans were taken from Africa and
dispersed and brainwashed among North, South and Central America (which makes them "American" too, doesn't it?) The only true
West Indians—if that’s what they even called themselves—are the indigenous
people of the Caribbean, such as the Arowaks and Tainos—just like the only true
Americans are the people who inhabited America before it was colonized and
named America. How silly people look calling themselves “Jamaican,”
“Trinidadian,” and using other such ethnic labels to identify themselves, when
those labels came about as the result of historical circumstance. I just
chuckle: Colonization has not been kind
to the Black mind.
And
while we’re on the topic of silly, what should continental Africans—Blacks born
and raised in Africa, and who can trace their immediate ancestry back to Africa
simply because the Slave Trade slowed down and, or, ended before their
ancestors were forced to live in North America—call themselves after they are
naturalized as American citizens? Wouldn’t the correct name for them be
“African-American?” Should it be “African-African-American?” Should it be
“Continental African-American?” Or should we take the time to learn our history
and about why we want so badly to dissociate ourselves from one another?
A
while ago, I was watching an “African” comedienne do a stand-up routine. She
introduced herself as being “African—and not African-American either. I’m
African African,” is what she said. I turned the channel after that. What is
“African African?” Had it not been for her going through such lengths to make
sure the audience knew that she was not a North American Black, her ethnicity
would not have been known. She had no accent or other identifying features. She
looked like she could have been from anywhere—the Carolinas, Compton,
Chicago—anywhere.
But,
I guess I should clarify the shame. The shame is being an “American” Black—even
though many of the Blacks who want to dissociate themselves are more “American”
than both American Whites and Blacks! So, nowadays, you’ll have a Black person
whose parents were born in the Caribbean, who identify completely with
“African-American” culture from their modes of dress and speech to their taste
in food and music—who will claim not to be “Black” or “African-American” simply
because they want to leave a certain impression with a particular audience.
Similarly, people who “look Black” are coded as being “Black,”
“African-American,” or “Black/African-American,” so the statistics about
“African-American” literacy, birth, social service involvement, and
incarceration rates, and socio-economic status—just to name a few—include data
about “other Blacks” as well. It is therefore unfair and insulting for a group
of people to be allowed to add to the statistics of another group, and then
dissociate from that group when it becomes convenient to do so.
For
example, the doctor that is accused of “killing” Michael Jackson, Conrad
Murray, is West Indian. Yet, when statistics are recorded about doctors in
California that have lost their license, he is likely to be recorded as
“Black/African-American.”
I
wouldn’t have a problem with some Blacks wanting to dissociate themselves from
other Blacks if a distinction really deserved to be made. But, the fact of the
matter is that Blacks as a whole have not recovered from the psychological damage
we experienced during the Enslavement Process, and the subsequent ills play out
in all Black communities—not just those that include North American Blacks. When
the mug shot of a “Black” person is broadcast on television, you do not know if
that person is a North American Black, West Indian, or Latino. All West Indians
do not have accents. Some Latinos are dark-skinned, with tightly-curled hair.
It is not uncommon, for instance, for the mugshot of a “Black” person with locs
(dred locks) and dark skin to be broadcast, and for the suspect’s last name to
be something like “Mendez,” or “Rodriguez,” which most people associate with
being Latino. There is no way to distinguish between North American and South
and Central American Blacks by way of their last names, since the
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade resulted in North, Central, and South American
Blacks having last names that reflected those of our European captors, and
Blacks transported from various regions having the same last names. Our first
names aren’t telling, either. I’ve met just as many West Indians with names
that rhyme with “eesha” and “eeka,” as I have met North American Blacks with
such names.
The term “African-American” is now the same as
saying “Bad Black Person.” There used to
be a time when certain attributes were associated with “Blacks” in general—attributes
like chastity, discipline—now I’m hearing people attribute these qualities to so-called
“immigrant Blacks” only—and suggesting that North American Blacks are the
reason for everything that is wrong in Black communities and North America. Having
all Blacks’ shortcomings coded as “Black/African-American” statistics is not fair and frustrating. When Caribbeans, continental Africans, dark-skinned Latinos and
other people that “look” Black show up to meetings late, perform below standard
on standardized exams, get involved in the criminal justice system, use public
assistance, and engage in dysfunctional behaviors, they are coded as “Black/African-American.”
Blacks are the only ones with this problem: I never hear Whites going through such pains
to distinguish themselves from one another. I have never heard an Italian,
British or Irish person, for example, insist on being called their ethnicity
over being called “White.” Some Blacks think that being something other than “African-American”
makes them more special, or that they are viewed differently or more favorably
by Whites. Yet, when Abner Luimer, a Haitian—dare I say—immigrant—was sexually
assaulted with a plunger by White police officers, clearly his status as a
Haitian was not significant. When a comment was made about dropping a bomb in
the middle of the Labor Day Parade in New York City—also known as the West
Indian day parade—due to the large concentration of “Blacks” known to attend,
there was no courtesy or consideration given to the ethnicities of parade
participants or organizers.
Now let’s discuss their “immigrant” status. When
White Americans refer to immigrants, they are generally referring to White-skinned
people who had to learn English upon arriving in North America. Generally, the
reference is to Eastern Europeans, Asians, and white-skinned Latinos. People
with “Black” skin who arrive from another country are referred to as “Black/African-American,”
especially those that simply have an accent. Continental Africans who have to
learn English upon arrival have a better chance of being classified as “immigrants.”
So the question posed is: Should North American Blacks be more elitist?
Should we turn our noses up at immigrants the same way they do, at us? Is it
fair that after all the strides we’ve made that benefit us and them that we should allow them to disrespect our legacy by pre-judging
us, calling us “lazy,” selectively forgetting that our ancestors literally bled
and died for civil rights that they take for granted? We allow them to join our Black greek letter organizations and
secret societies, to take advantage of our
legal defense funds, to apply for scholarships and opportunities for “African-Americans,”
while they set up organizations and scholarships from which we are excluded. Can
“African-Americans” be eligible for the scholarship superstar Rihanna set up for
Caribbeans? Are African-Americans eligible for a Golden Krust Bakery
scholarship?
Why do we North American Blacks allow everybody to
infiltrate our success, while no one allows us to infiltrate theirs? Our award
shows, magazines, newspapers, and other publications that were designed to
feature our success now includes them. Meanwhile, other groups establish
organizations specifically designed to exclude them from us, and do not include
us the same way we naively include them. Is this the same mistake the Native
Americans made—giving too much and then being taken advantage of?
Now is the perfect time for us to re-examine our
relationships with other groups. I can imagine that they may need our help
given the hoopla about immigration status. They will probably start preaching
that we all need to stick together, while crossing their fingers behind their
backs until they feel secure enough to start outwardly sticking up their noses at
us again.
I better not catch any North American Blacks
helping with this immigration sh**, because if North American Blacks were the
ones who needed saving, no groups would come to our aid. They’d be talking
about how we deserve our fate because we’re lazy and didn’t take advantage of
opportunities. Who would remind this country about our contributions? North
American Blacks are therefore encouraged NOT to support the DREAM or DACA Acts.
You wanted to be separate from us, now you’ve got a good chance at being
separated from us!
Spent all that time disassociating from so-called “African-Americans,”
and thinking that their immigrant status made them more valued, now they see .
. . Clayton Bigsby
Syndrome has gotten them nowhere.
This is a great time for North American Blacks to
mobilize and preserve our legacy.
