BLACK-ON-BLACK LOYALTY
By Clare X. Brown
Loyalty is something that is very important to me -whether it’s in personal relationships, or in relation to group loyalty. One of the themes that run through this blog is the need for black people to show more loyalty towards each other. Let me give three examples which I think illustrate how we as black people could show more loyalty towards each other.
First, black men need to be more loyal to black women. This is well illustrated by the fact that so many “conscious” black men hero worship Eldridge Cleaver - despite the fact that Eldridge Cleaver absolutely loathed black women. Indeed, Eldridge Cleaver was a good example of a man who proclaimed he was pro black while being open about favoring white women over black women. He openly acknowledges his rape of both black (and white women) in his book, Soul on Ice:
I became a rapist. To refine my technique and “modus operandi”, I started out by practicing on black girls in the ghetto–in the black ghetto where dark and vicious deeds appear not as aberrations or deviations from the norm, but as part of the sufficiency of the Evil of the day–and when I considered myself smooth enough, I crossed the tracks and sought out white prey. I did this consciously, deliberately, willfully, methodically–though looking back I see that I was in a frantic, wild, and completely abandoned frame of mind.
Amin Sharif notes that Cleaver:
…felt not only inadequate with white women but with black women as well……..he never took full responsibility for raping his “black victims.” Instead, Cleaver strangely made his apology to white society. To them Cleaver made his appeal, We are a very sick country. I, perhaps, am sicker than most.
Despite all the terrible things he did and said, incredibly I still see his image regularly on people’s blogs etc…WHY?
Second, black women need to show more loyalty towards black men. I find it disconcerting that some black women will spout the “sisterhood is global” rhetoric before they show any solidarity to fellow blacks. For example, it is fairly obvious - certainly in recent years - that bell hooks targets a progressive white female audience before black folk…maybe the fame has gone to her head – I don’t know – or maybe it’s the money. Likewise, too many black female bloggers are more interested in writing for blogher.org (a white feminist blog network) than blogging for a black- oriented audience; they seem to be more interested in getting their blogs linked by white progressives than writing anything of substance. What can I say? It’s sad.
Third, identifiably black “biracial” people need to show loyalty to the black group. Yes, it is madness to identify equally with “both sides” when both sides don’t show loyalty to you. At the end of the day, Black Americans accept black biracial people into the black community - or Black Americans wouldn’t be such a spectrum of different skin tones – however, white people have ALWAYS rejected identifiably Black Biracial people. To obsessively cling to a mixed or “mulatto” status is just another form of disloyalty to your black brothers and sisters - and it further weakens the black group.
Ultimately, black folk need to put loyalty to blacks before their loyalty to white groups. If we did this, we would have more self respect and (for what it’s worth) more respect from others.
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Sadly i don’t see it happening. I can’t tell you how many times I get ripped to shreds when I disagree with the modus operandi….
I truly wish this could happen, but it seems that some black folk are programmed to not choose one another.
It is very disheartening to anyone who is Black and really trying to connect with, support, work with, and be loyal to any person of Black descent. Some of the disloyalty is so ingrained in the psyche of some Blacks that they don’t even realize the internalized racism they constantly uphold in their words, actions, and way of life.
Most are really good people who do not intend purposely to hurt their race but their minds have been unconsciously brainwashed , to me much like stockholm syndrome via high tech lynching.
It feels so suffocating to be in the mist of this kind of disloyalty everyday because your spirit eventually starts to break down if you do not find the necessary support system of conscious active Blacks who are searching for the same thing. Sharing what they can and supporting each other be it Black Women supporting Black Men or Black Men Supporting Black Women or identifiably black “biracial” people supporting Blacks more.
Thank you for always keeping this up in the forefront because this work would be so much more successful if we had more Black -on- Black Loyalty
To everyone:
I understand the discouragement & frustration that many of us feel about this issue. Those of us that are loyal are resisting a tidal wave that encourages Black self-denial & disloyalty. We all need to keep our spirits up to avoid falling into despair & apathy.
Here are a few things that lift my spirit when I’m feeling frustrated about the lack of Black loyalty:
DO EVEN MORE TO SUPPORT BLACK PEOPLE & INSTITUTIONS THAT DESERVE YOUR SUPPORT. Whenever I’m truly annoyed with either confused Negros or racist White, Hispanic, Asian, etc. co-workers, I do some extra shopping at the nearest Final Call store [these stores are run by the Nation of Islam]. Fighting back by supporting Black nationalist groups usually cheers me up.
MAKE A POINT OF NOT HELPING DISLOYAL NEGROS IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED—LET THEM TWIST IN THE WIND. I also make a point of not rewarding/supporting disloyal Negros. Part of the reason why there are so many disloyal Blacks is because there’s usually no price to pay for betraying us. THIS NEEDS TO STOP. I suspect part of the reason why so many of us feel drained is because we HAVE BEEN sucked dry by continuing to rescue disloyal Negros.
And for those of you who are hesistant to do this, keep in mind the following: If it is actually a color-blind world as some of them say, then they don’t need your support. Let White people support them, if they will. If they are “biracial” & therefore not Black, let them find some biracial organizations to rescue them. Why are they running to Black people for help when they loudly proclaim that they are not Black? If they are Latino & therefore not Black, let them find some other Latinos to rescue them in their hour of need.
ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU COULD BE SPARING THE BLACK COMMUNITY ADDITIONAL DAMAGE BY NOT RESCUING DISLOYAL NEGROS. By helping disloyal Negros you could be endangering the Black community in the future. Let me explain by way of several interlocking stories:
When I was in law school, there were several hard-core assimilationist Negros among the very small number of Black students. These people did damage to Black interests during law school; and I know at least one has continued to hurt Black interests since then. They never had any incentive to change their ways in part because, despite their disloyalty, other misguided Blacks felt duty-bound to support them.
[1]An individual that I referred to as “Apparently Her Name is Karen.” I used the word “apparently” because I had no intention of trying to find out this person’s name directly—she refused to speak to the other Black students. Yet this very same person was quite happy to accept award monies that had been raised by Black organizations. Since I was also a recipient, I quietly lobbied the Black organization donating the money to start interviewing people and their references to try to screen out anti-Black Negros. How many loyal Black students didn’t get grants from this group because they indiscriminately gave money to traitors?
I stressed to the people I met in the organization that it’s not helping advance Blacks in the professions to blindly give out money to people who will NEVER do anything to serve the Black community. And it’s fairly easy to screen out the worst offenders—they don’t have any Black references because they don’t deal with Black people on any level. The organization was resistant to this idea, so they continued to give money to this individual as well as the next character:
[2]An individual that took study outlines that had been created by the school Black Law Student Association and gave them to White students. Please understand that a good law school study outline is like a CIA intelligence brief—it’s confidential and only shared with close associates. What made it even worse, senior Black students had given the outlines to her in order to distribute them to the rest of us [the Black first-year students]. She never passed them on to the rest of us.
When confronted, she said that it was “racist” to keep these outlines to ourselves. When I asked her what outlines her White “friends” had given her in exchange, she looked confused. When I argued that the rest of us needed to shut this nut out of our circles, others argued that I was being vindictive and that we still had to help “the sister” survive a racist law school.
We later found out that several White professors had created outlines for some of the White students. So thanks to this fool, White students had their outlines, some of the professors’ outlines, AND some of our outlines.
This was quite a while ago. This woman has gone on to allow herself to be used by local White politicians to try to unseat a loyal Black congressman. If other Black students hadn’t supported her then, the larger local Black community might not have to watch out for her now.
[3]The Confused Nigerian. This guy was ahead of me in law school. Like “Apparently Her Name is Karen” he also made a point of not speaking to other Blacks. He proudly told White students that he never spoke his native language at home—he only spoke English. He thought these White students & professors were his friends.
Submitting to a review of one’s “character & fitness” is part of becoming licensed—basically it’s a detailed background check. When it was time to submit names of references, the Confused Nigerian discovered to his horror that none of his White “friends” would vouch for him. He couldn’t get a single reference from these nice White folks that he had spent the previous 3 years sucking-up to. He ended up begging the Black undergraduate students that worked in the law library to help him [these were also people he couldn't bother to speak to for 3 years].
Unfortunately, the Black undergrads felt obligated to help this individual and found [Black] references for him. I don’t know what he’s been doing in his career since then, but I doubt that it’s anything that helps us.
Peace.
Joyce Brown Said:
…
Thank you for always keeping this up in the forefront because this work would be so much more successful if we had more Black -on- Black Loyalty
You’re welcome
Khadija Said:
We all need to keep our spirits up to avoid falling into despair & apathy.
Here are a few things that lift my spirit when I’m feeling frustrated about the lack of Black loyalty:
DO EVEN MORE TO SUPPORT BLACK PEOPLE & INSTITUTIONS THAT DESERVE YOUR SUPPORT…
MAKE A POINT OF NOT HELPING DISLOYAL NEGROS IN THEIR HOUR OF NEED—LET THEM TWIST IN THE WIND…ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU COULD BE SPARING THE BLACK COMMUNITY ADDITIONAL DAMAGE BY NOT RESCUING DISLOYAL NEGROS.
Great ideas - thanks for sharing.
…When it was time to submit names of references, the Confused Nigerian discovered to his horror that none of his White “friends” would vouch for him. He couldn’t get a single reference from these nice White folks that he had spent the previous 3 years sucking-up to.
Lol!
This forum is so refreshing. I know what it’s like to spend the whole day in corporate america and watch us tango with the devil all day long selling our souls. There was a period in my life I thought I was going insane because no-one (blacks around) me seemed aware of what was going on or the injustice around them as they worked hard to please master all day long. But I must say God had a way…living in Chicago I ended up going to Trinity with Dr. Wright and that, jokes aside, saved my sanity. Going to church and hearing him speak and address the injustices that haunt me daily made me realize I was not crazy but also that I had to get used to being an outcast among many people including my own people if I was going to stand up for what I believe in. It does get lonely not being able to fit in because you are not playing along but I will take loneliness over losing my dignity on any given day.
Black loyalty starts with us as individuals…if you are not loyal to yourself as a black person you will not be loyal to the community. When we can start demanding respect for ourselves then we can demand it for all. We need to stop looking for their stamp of approval in eveything we do. For some reason some of us feel like our stuff is not legite until white people have endorsed it.
Nhamo Said:
This forum is so refreshing. I know what it’s like to spend the whole day in corporate america and watch us tango with the devil all day long selling our souls. There was a period in my life I thought I was going insane because no-one (blacks around) me seemed aware of what was going on or the injustice around them as they worked hard to please master all day long. But I must say God had a way…living in Chicago I ended up going to Trinity with Dr. Wright and that, jokes aside, saved my sanity. Going to church and hearing him speak and address the injustices that haunt me daily made me realize I was not crazy but also that I had to get used to being an outcast among many people including my own people if I was going to stand up for what I believe in. It does get lonely not being able to fit in because you are not playing along but I will take loneliness over losing my dignity on any given day
Thanks for the kudos and thanks for sharing. I too would prefer to take loneliness before losing my dignity…fortunately we have the internet now which I am hoping will go some way towards connecting freethinking black folk with like minded people.
I am feeling so dazed and confused today. I’ve been reading the news headlines and seeing so much destruction going on in our communities. I just want to scream and say “Black people wake up!” Why can’t we love one another?
I am so tired of hearing so called “progressive Negroes” talking about adapting to the new “global community.” How in the heck can we as a people adapt to anything when we can not be “real” with ourselves.
I am an OBGYN and I see from the ground up how other groups stick together like glue and most are here illegally. They may not like each other, but they will unify in a second. They will swindel and use other people to get what they want or need and think nothing of it. We as Black people on the other hand will cut each others throats instead of choosing one another.
I know we are not all like this, but it is getting scarry out there and I don’t understand why others can not see it.
I am almost finished law school and the majority of minorities in the school are Black women. Who are they going to marry? Who will be the fathers of their children? Do we as a people simply want to disappear?
Do we hate ourselves so much that we just do not care?
I truly wish that Black folks could have a national dialogue and if the consensus is to go our seperate ways then fine. At least there will be an answer and those of us that care about who we are as a people could move on and build up ourselves and the hell with the rest. Is anyone else feeling the frustration I am feeling?
As a biracial Russian woman (my father was Moroccan) who was born and raised in Moscow, Russia I have to raise my eyebrows at the blanket notion of racial loyalty articulated without consideration of culture.
I have never felt accepted by the African-American community in U.S. because I refused to give up my Russian culture and heritage (that are considered “for white people”
and try to pretend I was a black african-american woman. I was interrogated about my racial history(to see if I was black enough), rediculed and called everything short of a nazi. I never experienced this type of beligerance from the white community, as white folks either totally embraced me or respectfully ignored me (which is all a human being can ask for, really).
I am curious and open-minded about the world and its people, but pretending to be something I am not does not sit well with my sense of integrity and it irritates me even more when people try to force me into a racial category that has no relevance in the international context. I identify with Russian people, share their language, humor, tastes in music, cooking, and general lifestyle and values because Russia is home, so where does this idea of racial loyalty leave people like me? Shouldn’t my loyalty lie with people who share my values and culture, who have raised and protected me, rather than people who may look like me but with whom I have nothing or little incommon? It is both arrogant and naive to assume that people of color with various degrees of ancestral connection to Africa should have one overarching agenda or see the world the same way.
It may be worth noting that the idea of lighter skin = privilege is a not a universal truth but a product of the American institution of slavery and embracing one’s biracial heritage may be considered as “sucking up to the white man” or trying to “pass for white” only in the American context. There are millions of us biracial folks living around the world, in Russia, China, Brazil, and Sweden, doing what our parents have done for generations, and not realizing that all the while by failing identify with out distant African ancestors we are trying to get closer to the “white man.” This idea is simply bogus.
I for one think that this sort of black or white tribalism is what’s wrong with America and by maintaining strict racial segregation we are only ensuring that the same black or white world the slave owners envisioned will be here for the next generation to experience.
Sophy:
You claim that you “never experienced this type of beligerence from the White community….” Hmmm…I wonder….
Are you referring to the White community in the U.S. or the White community in “Mother Russia?”
From various news reports, it seems that your White Russian brethren have been on a rampage during the past few years. There have been numerous violent attacks against dark-skinned immigrants from the Caucasus & as well as other non-White foreigners. I’ve even read news reports of a video posted by Russian neo-nazis that purportedly shows them beheading two men from Caucasus ethnic groups—a Daghestani & a Tajik. The video is called “The Execution of a Tajik and a Dagestani.”
You probably already know about all of this. If you are “raising your eyebrows” in response to a simple call for Black unity, what did you say or do in response to the ongoing racist attacks perpetrated by your White Russian brethren?
Could all of this possibly have something to do with why you are no longer in Russia?
Peace.
Sophy,
Maybe I am misinterpreting your statement.
“It may be worth noting that the idea of lighter skin = privilege is a not a universal truth but a product of the American institution of slavery and embracing one’s biracial heritage may be considered as “sucking up to the white man” or trying to “pass for white” only in the American context”.
If you are saying that lighter skin = privilege is an American phenomenon than you are definitely mistaken.
Brazil : Even though the majority of the population is of African or Amerindian or mixed origin (African-Amerindian-European), the lighter you are, the better. In Brazil, white is associated with beauty, intelligence, power and money. How many dark-skinned (in the Brazilian context) Brazilian presidents can you name? Zero.
I love Soccer and most of the great Brazilian players had obvious African or Amerindian ancestry. Do you realize that the Brazilian Soccer team has never had a dark-skinned head coach!!
If you watch a Brazilian telenovela, you would think that there are no Black people in Brazil.
The rest of Central and South America: Just watch Univision for a week and let me know what you think.
Arabian-Gulf countries: The lighter you are the better.
India, Pakistan & Bangladesh: If you tell me that Indians are not color struck then have you ever seen the fair and lovely ads? Look at the Bollywood movies and you would think that there are no dark-skinned Indians. Why are the vast majority of the dalits (”untouchables”
dark or very-dark skinned?
Egypt: The darker you are, the worse off you are.
For God’s sake, the Egyptian government vehemently protested when an American studio was going to have an African-American actor playing the role of Sadate.
If you ever go to Egypt, you will that the “Black Egyptians” are at the poorest of the poor.
Sudan: Who is in power in Sudan? Afro-Arabs who think that they are better than Africans.
Somalia: Please do some research on the so-called Bantu-Somali and we shall then talk.
Mauritania: Slavery was abolished in the early 1980s. The elites in that country are light-skinned Arabs or Berbers.
Morocco: Since you are part Moroccan, I do not need to tell you about the treatment of the Haratin.
I could go on and on..
My brother-in-law (East-African) studied in civil engineering in Russia and rarely left the University campus for about three years. He was severely beaten twice during in first three months in Russia. He got no assistance from the police whatsoever. He said that African, Indian and Nepali students were basically in peril as soon as they would try to venture out of the campus.
I know a Nigerian man who is married to a Ukrainian women. They met while they were students in Russia. They had a son who was never accepted by the women’s family and the society in general (they lived in St-Petersburg). The poor kid was constantly being beaten up and insulted by other kids in school. They came to Canada after he completed his PhD.
JS
The people who are against segregation of black society are those who easily blend in with the white world. If you are half Moroccan and white, most likely you are white. Can you honestly say that by looking at you someone will be able to tell the difference between you and an Italian, Greek, Iberian, Sicilian white European ethnic etc?
I have an Arabic student named Samer (pronounced Sameer). He asked me to call him “Sam”. Looking at him I could not tell the difference between him and a white Americans. When talking about race he identified himself as a minority who could not understand why people want to segregate saying we should all try to live together. He admitted that a lot of Arabic people around him are racist including family etc. He stated that he had once dated a “black girl”, believing that he had done some heroic thing to be awarded. Those that blend in with the white world have problems realizing that not everyone is able to follow that path, that is if they ever wanted to. Black people cannot live their lives hoping, or caring that other people get over their racist colorism. They must surround themselves with people that accept them up front for who they are without them showing they have (the $$$, Superior intellect, education, or physical looks, and talents) that make them the “exceptional” black worthy of being accepted by the racist ranks around them. This may come as a surprise but there are many black people who don’t care that others think about them as “tribalism”, because the people around them are the people who meet the above criteria. Further, for your information slave-masters hardly segregated themselves from blacks, they raped beautiful black women day and night. Their vision was not black/white segregation, it was for white “domination”. Thus as long as black people are clamoring for white ‘acceptance’, ‘validation’, ‘recognition’ into their ranks as you are recommending, that vision will reign supreme whether you realize or not.
Also since you do not know me or any other black people here, your insinuated generalization about us as a people being always “belligerent” while whites always “respectful” or “embracing” is such a racist disposition I cannot believe you have difficulty understanding why black people distance themselves from you. This is why black people “tribalize” ourselves, because we do not want to embrace the racist sentiments of our society or become “open-minded” about our world as you have put it Sophy.
I was born in the west indies and shade is definitely right up there with clas privilege. It’s massive.
I think that I prize courage, voice, critical analysis and the ability to break silences because I’ve found that without these there is no respect.
I prize conversations that move beyond sound bytes. I prize complexity and layeredness. As a caribbean educated in kkkanada, I’ve noticed that the analysis of the vast majority of people who write about blackness are fairly uni layered, sort of the essence or ebony variety of easily consumable perceptions that only ever skim the surface.
I’m seeking something solid, something that speaks to the fact that many of us are Black and so much more to boot which shapes our perceptions, our experiences and our abilities to work together to make change.
Without reckoning with our differences as much as we claim to appreciate the concept of unity, there can be no respect grounded in anything more than a really simple surface seeming.
The Blackness I love in myself is thick, layered, difficult, terrifying, uncomfortable, fierce, depressing, joyous and spread across continuums of power, hierarchy, dominance, privilege, power, submission and oppression.
I think that I always appreciate conversations and blogland engagements that resonate with all of this.
Thanks for continuing to speak to what you understand and believe. And I hope you don’t mind that I popped by.
I do not understand why Sophy would post a message on this board if she felt that way. She is not telling the truth. White people all over the world have demonstrated their hatred of anyone who is not white no matter where europeans have touched down. Her whole problem is she just does not want to be Black. The END!
I don’t want you to fake a feeling of kinship with me. It would be better if you did not. You are of no use to me. I don’t need you in order for me to be me or to be successful. I have proven that without a doubt, but I have needed my Black sisters to get me through the rough times in my life since I no longer have parents.
Sophy is an example of someone Black folks need to stay clear of. She is dangerous for the mind and the soul.
She talks of all the biracial people from all over the world. Those same biracial people come to America and have no problem benefiting off the backs of what Black people have done in the distant and recent past AND ARE STILL DOING here in this country. If Sophy claims not to be Black and Blacks treated her so poorly, why the heck is she in America and why is she on this blog. She’d better make sure she is not illegal, because these “respectful” Whites are ready to get rid of her behind. I hope many foriegn Blacks have noticed a change in the climate as far as how welcomed you are here in the great US of A. The one thing you will never change is that despite what ever animosity there is between American Blacks and Whites in the US, we know each other.
While she and others are continuoulsy looking down on Black people who are proud of who they are, many, many of those Black folks are putting their noses to the grind stone and will be the future leaders in this country as well as others. Do a little research. See who’s becoming mayors and judges all over the world. Even Obama, who is biracial identifies himself as a Black man and has married a Black,successful, bright woman.
If you do not want to be a part of our community, move on. You are not need or wanted.(Sorry to be harsh, but I am getting too old to play these games.)
To all:
Black consciousness is on the move! Please take the time to check out the new blog by a sister called Shecodes—her blog is called “Black Women Vote”
I’m always encouraged by reading consciousness-raising posts. Her post entitled “Don’t Sell Your Vote for a Handshake and a Fried Chicken Dinner” is outstanding!
Peace.
Thank you for this article in fact I have found this whole website really interesting. As a black women it warms my heart to see brothas and sistas show love and loyalty.
I think it is all our jobs to wake brothas and sistas that need to be woken up from their sleep. Also we need to support each other when it is necessary for support.
http://lilkemet.wordpress.com/
To all:
I’m asking for those of us that pray to offer prayers for a speedy recovery to celebrity fitness trainer Darius Miller. This brother (who is a true knight & a gentleman) was beaten into a coma while defending Black women from being harassed & videotaped outside an Atlanta club. May God bless him & speed his recovery.
Peace.
Sophy wrote: “I am curious and open-minded about the world and its people, but pretending to be something I am not does not sit well with my sense of integrity and it irritates me even more when people try to force me into a racial category that has no relevance in the international context.”
Nhamo: We certainly applaud your curiosity and ability to be open minded vs. our close minds that cannot find their space merely as human beings singing kumbaya in this our global village. What is your international context, Sophy?
Sophy : “I identify with Russian people, share their language, humor, tastes in music, cooking, and general lifestyle Shouldn’t my loyalty lie with people who share my values and culture, who have raised and protected me, rather than people who may look like me but with whom I have nothing or little incommon?”.
Nhamo: ” Why the heck are you on this blog? It states at the very top of every page that this is a “safe space for black oriented bloggers”. You identify with Russian music, food, culture and your loyalty lies there…a Russian blog may do you better.
I am not sure where you get off thinking that race is purely an American construction. You are obviously not in touch with any black communities on any continent where slavery and colonism and apartheid (South Africa and Zimbabwe) clearly divided people by racial lines and we are still suffering the effects of these divisions today. You say you are Moroccoan. I still have to meet a single person from an Arab African country who sees themself as black. The first thing they want to tell you is that they are Arab and definitely not your cousin…just happen to be in Africa. Arab nations in Africa, Morrocco being one of them are some of the biggest perpetrators of racial conflict and oppression of Africans. The conflict in Darfur speaks for itself and the attitudes of Arabs across the continent are not any better.
Sophy, please do not preach to us about the righteousness of white Russians. We all know plenty of black people, and I have some in my family who lived in Russia as Varsity students and as diplomats who faced an enormous amount of racism. You have got to be kidding me if you think there is no racism there. That is the most naive statement I have ever seen.
You are irritated by being “forced” into being something you are not. No-one can force you to do anything and definitely not be something you are not. Is your irritation coming from beng asked to define who you are or is it that you despise being mistaken for a black person? I definitely get irritated by people who despise black people but will play the black card when it benefits them which I am pretty sure when it comes to collecting scholarships and getting jobs based on your africanness you have no problem checking that damn box….Me? Russian?
Sister I agree with you whole heartedly. We as a people need to learn that we are not the enemy. But as the old adage goes ” it is easy for cats to kill other cats, it’s the Dogs that they seem to have trouble with”. It is easy for us to attack our own because the threat of being punished is a lot less severe. As a part of our loyalty to ourselves I believe we need to change the worlds outlook on us and shed the image of being less than human.
I definitely agree with you on this issue. I think black men need to pro-create with black women…..and White men need to pro-create with White women.
I, as a White brethren, have racial loyalty, but I am assumed a racist (in todays term) by ones that have no inclination on the definition of the word. It is used as a tool, a weapon, to throw against the accusations of inadequacies and failure in the black community. And theres many that need to be addressed. Theres also the same issues within the White community as well, which usually lies in the cities and suburbs. And those need to be addressed as well.
The fact of the matter is…we are two totally different people[s]. Different ideas, different laws, different beliefs, different moralities, etc…and we need to be seperated to prosper as a race in seperate regions/sections/lands, whatever you choose to put there.
Since the government statistics assume that the population of America is 13% black….Id say, as liberal as I am, to give….’give’…35% of America to the black race. Any section or region of this wonderful land, just as the united regions are just that…united. West to east, north to south….any which region, as long as theyre connected to one another. That would give the black race approximately 2 and two thirds space per person and leave the White race to approximately less than 1 space per person to prosper as a race. Actually its .08125. I’m willing to do that to let your people prosper under your government….and we’ll have our government too.
That is the only way to stomp out racism committed to your race from these American-Americans (Whites). There will be no more racism, hunger, poverty, slums, etc…or anyother institutionalized racist to hold you all back.
I dont hate anyone, but I, like you, love my race and want to see my race succeed without outside obstacles or interferences. Theres nothing wrong with that and youre not a hate filled racist that want to see others besides your counterparts dead. You just want black unity in a black community, as I want a White unity in a White community…..simple as that.
As the country is getting more and more disunited over issues regarding government (2K8 election)….and more and more people on both sides of the fence are starting to stand and be counted, voices heard, things are going to get done what you and I want. Just hold on a little while longer, youre getting to the top of the roller coaster ride…..get ready for Genesis.
Loyalty and unity from our brothers and sisters…and respect for one another. I agree with you 100%.
I really appreciate people like you showing that racial loyalty isnt an abominable sin….its simply shows us who we are as a ‘people’.
Like I said before, about the 2K8 election coming up, there is a major indifference in this country that has ever been seen before. Its not a presidential election….its a racial election. It all revolves around race, as does everything in this country. People just choose not to ‘acknowledge’ it.
People[s] of today want to be in the presence of their own. After integration of society of the 60’s blacks, as well as Whites have self-segragated back to before the 60’s. Its because ‘WHO’ we are. Theres nothing wrong with that.
I hope and pray that you will be able to convince your people to congregate and pro-create with their own status, to resist the White way for your ethnical heritage….and I, as well, will continue to do the same on my side of the fence.
RACIAL LOYALTY is what its all about if we want to preserve our race for the future.
Much love for you….and the message your sending to your ‘family’.
I’ll tackle #2 and #3. I have nothing to say about #1 because the black men I know don’t fit the “typical black man” stereotype. Even my deadbeat father is the last person most would expect to abandon his kids.
Anyway, #2: The Civil Rights movement was very blatantly sexist in spite the fact that 2/3rds of the people that comprised these groups were women. That is still true today. The Women’s Lib movement was racist, both intentionally in its failure to address the impact of race on women of color, and unintentionally by abiding to the still fairly segregated standards of the time. Who do I feel a stronger connection to: blacks or women? Depends on the person. I tend to feel a strong sense of loyalty with women of color and really, those are the only ones who will get my loyalty. The most misogynistic things I’ve heard came from women. The most anti-black things I’ve heard have come from black people. The most demeaning anti-black female campaign I endured was from a black male tenant in an old building who would go out of his way to demean and disrespect us (several other black female students and I) feel It seems to be a theme with any minority group you look at. I assumed he had a bad personality until the building party where he was a completely different person to white folk. This isn’t to say that all or even most black men are like that. I am loyal to those who deserve loyalty. It is not unconditional.
As for biracial children, they should acknowledge ALL of their identity if they feel it’s a part of them. I would be incredibly hurt if my children chose to cast away the African part of their identity for solely the black American one. I imagine this would hurt any parent. The most well adjusted kids I know are Hapas who identify as such. Many have lots of Hapas in their social circles as well as a diverse group of friends. I don’t find your argument to be very healthy. I myself err on the side of preservation, but denying a part of your identity sets you up for failure
I would be incredibly hurt if my children chose to cast away the African part of their identity for solely the black American one.
This post wasn’t about African versus Black American - it was about black versus white. If you are going to make unnecessary statements like “I don’t find your argument to be very healthy,” you need to openly and honestly address the issue…e.g. say why you feel black-looking biracials should embrace their white side etc rather than deliberately misunderstanding the argument.
I think black “loyalty” has less to do with white “loyalty” and more to do with self respect. Segregation and distrust are certainly not answers to the problem — rather they are the very cause of the problem.
I appreciate your arguments, and they’re well-articulated. However, your likening of the relationship between white and black folk of today with that between white and black folk of the past fails to appreciate how far we’ve come as a society. Furthermore, it is self-limiting, which seems indicative of low self esteem.
I’m going to tell you the truth. Your speculation that some interracial relationships are motivated (subconsciously though) by low self esteem in the form of a perceived guarantee that the other party won’t leave is, in SOME instances, accurate. However, this is not, to my knowledge, true of most interracial relationships. I can also honestly tell you that today very many men and women have truly moved beyond the color barrier and are capable of healthy interracial relationships.
And while perhaps it’s true that a white male will not necessarily completely understand the difficulties of being a minority, they will begin to understand as those hicks who are still racist extend their racism to the white man who marries a minority woman. He therefore shares in this though, admittedly, not experiencing the full effect.
Rather than asking folks to segregate, let’s encourage integration while encouraging self respect: both respect of oneself and respect for the identity of the group from which one comes.
Watching the recent political events in the US - and seeing how Obama is getting the majority of black voters, I can’t help to wonder - if it was Condoleeza Rice who was running for president (and not Obama), would we have voted for her? Is that black-on-black on loyalty at work? Remember the OJ trial of a few years ago - was that racial loyalty at work?
The OJ trial was Black women on the jury delivering OJ from himself based on a misplaced case of “racial loyalty”.
There were a lot of articles about Marcia Clark’s principal strategic misstep being that she had assumed that the women on the jury would side with Nicole as the woman wronged.
(IMO, that was myopic of her for assuming that white feminist concerns are ALL feminist concerns, but that’s tangential.)
However, I can’t imagine being a Black woman on that jury, going home to my husband and kids post-trial (I don’t know if discussion of a felony murder is ever permitted in CA post trial; anyone know?) and having to deal with them thinking that I had “betrayed” OJ by rendering a guilty verdict.
It would have been perceived as the “ultimate betrayal of the black community”.
Blah blah blah blah. Anyone ever notice that when there’s bleating about the problems in the Black community, it’s all about solving the MEN’s problems in the community? Black women work themselves to the bone holding together families as well as holding down jobs, supporting “the pastor” at church, serving in neighborhood organizations, trying to look out for their health and looks (lest she not be able to work or be cruelly ridiculed for not having expended her last discretionary income and time on looking like a
and then when she keels over from stress and exhaustion it’s “She was faithful in service.”
“dyme”
BLECH.
Sister Omina:
Regarding Senator Obama: I don’t think that this is really about racial loyalty for the bulk of his Black supporters. I think for many Blacks, it’s actually about several other [often negative] things:
The emotional need for symbols over substance.
We get very excited at seeing “Black faces in high places.” We like to believe that we as a race are advancing whenever a Black person gets a high-profile job. Also, since we are politically immature, most of us assume that the Black person is our champion.
It doesn’t concern us that most of these people [Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, etc.] are serving the interests of their White benefactors. A Black face fronting for a White infrastructure does not & has not changed our collective position in the world.
The last time I saw something resembling the Obama-fever was during the hearings regarding Clarence Thomas’ appointment to the Supreme Court. Even Minister Farrakhan [of all people] was duped & supported Clarence Thomas. I had many heated arguments with people who assured me that Clarence was just “playing White folks’ game” & that he “was still a brother.” Nowadays, nobody will admit that they supported Clarence Thomas.
No, I don’t think masses of Black folks would support Condoleeza Rice; the puppet strings tying her to her White masters are too obvious. When a Black person is an obvious puppet, the illusion is broken & they are no longer satisfying the emotional need for symbolic achievements.
Peace.
*Another point about “Black faces in high places*
I would compare Black folks’ naivete regarding individual Black office holders with Americans naivete regarding what it takes to have a functioning democracy. For example, just because people are voting in elections doesn’t mean that a country is functioning as a liberal democracy similar to western European countries. Remember the purple-finger election(s) in Iraq? Or the elections in any number of countries in the global south?
There are many other things that have to be in place [for example, the concept of the rule of impartial law, respect for property rights, a solid middle class population, etc.] for elections to have the same effect/significance as they have in the U.S., Canada, western Europe.
So it is with Black office holders. For individual Black office holders to lift us up the way that other ethnic groups’ politicians lift them up, we need to have a similar infrastructure in place. Most of the necessary infrastructure revolves around money—-a network of Black-owed businesses that can employ a large percentage of our people. A business network that’s large enough creates organized money to hire lobbyists, to fund campaigns, etc. With effective ethnic groups, voting is only the final step in this process; not the ONLY step.
With Black politicians, there’s nothing but thin air & White folks’ infrastructure under their feet. This is why Black politicians are usually most responsive to the White entities that fund their campaigns—and minimally responsive to the Black folks that vote them into office. This is also why dramatic increases in the number of Black elected officials have not lifted us up as a people.
All of this is not to say that having individual Black office holders is absolutely worthless. Many of them do make “good gub’ment jobs” and municipal contracts available to other Blacks. This makes a difference for a small number of individual Black families—my Dad’s good gub’ment job helped my parents raise us as “children of affluence.” I’m thankful he gained access to this job because of political changes in the 1960s.
Peace.
Littlem:
Oh yes, I’ve ranted in other threads about how Black men’s needs/issues = the Black community’s needs/issues. And how what I refer to as “the Black Man’s Genital Project” has been misrepresented to us as a struggle on behalf of all Black folks.
You are correct—excluding the Nation of Islam, Black women are the majority of the people propping up the rest of whatever Black institutions we have. Regarding Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH, the NAACP, etc., the footsoldiers are mostly Black women. I suspect the same is true of Rev. Sharpton’s National Action Network. I’ve ranted in other threads about how Black women serve as footsoldiers battling in support of Black men’s issues; and this courtesy is not reciprocated.
I find that I’m feeling more & more disdain for these Black male leaders with majority-female followers—if they can’t command the respect of their fellow men why should I care what they say?
I recently read a profound statement by another sister that Black women need to ponder long & hard: BLACK WOMEN ARE THE ONLY RESOURCE THAT BLACK MEN CONTROL!! Why are Black women collectively suffering Black male fools when they will drop to the ground if & when we stop propping them up?
Peace.
You are correct—excluding the Nation of Islam, Black women are the majority of the people propping up the rest of whatever Black institutions we have. Regarding Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH, the NAACP, etc., the footsoldiers are mostly Black women.
And note that the NAACP and Rainbow/PUSH are pointless organizations that do practically nothing of substance. The Nation of Islam, on the other hand, has substance, yet is limited in scope.
Men are more geared toward substance than women. There are simply no movements of substance to attract black men especially since such movements involve tossing out political correctness.
Rocky:
It is not at all that men are more geared to substance than women. This is apparent to anybody with eyes—consider the amount of time many men (of all races) waste watching others play professional sports. Anyone who isn’t blinded by hatred of women can see that gender doesn’t determine one’s attraction [of lack of such] to substance.
To All:
I suspect that the lack of mass Black male participation in [the earlier-named] organizations has more to do with the following factor—having a generation of males who have acclimated to functioning as “lone wolves” who are not part of any sort of structured fellowship. They’re not forming families of their own, & they’re not participating in churches, or any sort of organized fellowship.
However, Black men do come to these organizations begging for help when they catch a criminal case or are beaten/shot by the police. The “Jena 6/Ahmadou Diallo scenario” is the main type of problem that Rainbow/PUSH, NAACP, etc. respond to.
None of this directly relates to Black women’s interests. Yet, Black women are the bulk of these groups’ footsoldiers. It’s long past time for Black women to cut the apron strings with these groups; and form/support groups that actually serve OUR interests.
Furthermore, it’s not like Black men are beating a path to join the Nation of Islam. Neither are Black women. The Nation of Islam is limited in scope because participation in the Nation REQUIRES DISCIPLINE. Among many other things, this discipline means zero tolerance for the out-of-wedlock-baby-mama/daddy-lifestyle. It’s unattactive to people who want to sleep around. This sort of discipline is also unattractive to persons who can’t comprehend any need for marriage—like other Muslims, the Nation promotes marriage.
A disciplined path is always a narrow one with fewer travelers. Black people [of both genders] have developed indolent lifestyles in general—anything that requires discipline is not going to have mass participation.
My main point is the same as ever: Stop supporting people/organizations that are unworthy of your support. Make more of an effort to support people/organizations that deserve your support.
Peace.
It is not at all that men are more geared to substance than women. This is apparent to anybody with eyes—consider the amount of time many men (of all races) waste watching others play professional sports. Anyone who isn’t blinded by hatred of women can see that gender doesn’t determine one’s attraction [of lack of such] to substance.
Case in point. “Blinded by hatred of women” is a typical type of response by an irrational person.
Sports are leisure activities. How are they any more wastes of time than watching soap operas? We are talking about how one goes on to achieve goals and objectives, not how someone spends their leizure time. Studies have shown that men tend to be more rational and linear while women are more emotional and intuitive. Men tend to be more objective and product-oriented, while women tend to be more subjective and process-oriented.
Furthermore, it’s not like Black men are beating a path to join the Nation of Islam. Neither are Black women. The Nation of Islam is limited in scope because participation in the Nation REQUIRES DISCIPLINE. Among many other things, this discipline means zero tolerance for the out-of-wedlock-baby-mama/daddy-lifestyle. It’s unattactive to people who want to sleep around. This sort of discipline is also unattractive to persons who can’t comprehend any need for marriage—like other Muslims, the Nation promotes marriage.
The also don’t tolerate interracial relationships (especially involving whites) and they promote gender roles.
Rocky:
Since you believe “studies” that verify your hatred of women—your nonsensical claim that men “tend to be more rational and linear,” I guess you should also believe the “studies” that White racists pull out to verify their belief that Blacks—including you—tend to be less intelligent than Whites. You sound like a White fan of “The Bell Curve.”
Like many, you have a distorted view of the Nation of Islam. What they support [that you've referred to as "gender roles"] is not the same as the mail-order bride fantasy that you described in your earlier posts.
Ike Turner fantasies are more likely to be tolerated & fulfilled among Sunni Muslims than in the Nation of Islam.
Unlike Sunni groups, there are female ministers in the Nation of Islam. Over the years, I’ve usually enjoyed lectures by Minister Ava Muhammad, who is an attorney [and IIRC, a former prosecutor]. The Nation also won’t tolerate their members having more than one wife.
Finally, last I heard, Minister Ishmael Muhammad [one of Elijah Muhammad's sons] is in an interracial marriage with a non-Black wife.
There was some educational value in deconstructing some of your earlier posts. Since there is no further value to be found in dissecting your misogyny, I won’t bother.
Peace.
Since you believe “studies” that verify your hatred of women—your nonsensical claim that men “tend to be more rational and linear,” I guess you should also believe the “studies” that White racists pull out to verify their belief that Blacks—including you—tend to be less intelligent than Whites. You sound like a White fan of “The Bell Curve.”
The studies verify your intense hatred for men, specifically black men. Mainstream science disputes the notion of black intellectual inferiority. So that is a moot point that you reach for. Gender differences (not superiority of inferiority) has been studied and noted by mainstream science. There is nothing sexist about the realization that men and women think and perceive things differently.
And LaShawn Barber is a fan of the Bell Curve and she and Evia admire each other, so there ya go.
What they support [that you’ve referred to as “gender roles”] is not the same as the mail-order bride fantasy that you described in your earlier posts.
Point out where I described anything of the sort (of course you can’t and won’t).
Finally, last I heard, Minister Ishmael Muhammad [one of Elijah Muhammad’s sons] is in an interracial marriage with a non-Black wife.
Something the NOI may dispute being that they view the Olmecs as originating from black Africa and consider modern Latinos as their descendants. This is evident by the growing number of Latinos in the NOI. Now how many NOI members have WHITE spouses (as you are wishing that you will have)?
There was some educational value in deconstructing some of your earlier posts. Since there is no further value to be found in dissecting your misogyny, I won’t bother.
Don’t recall you deconstructing nor dissecting anything. You did make up a lot of things though. I will agree that you were probably educated by reading my posts.
Love your blog!
Loyalty is necessary. With loyalty comes unity.
I believe it’s possible for Black people to obtain loyalty/unity. However, it will come at a price.
I think we will be FORCED to come together.
Hurricane Katrina should have been a wake-up call. If Katrina didn’t FORCE us together, it will take something worse than Katrina.
I use the word FORCED because we are not choosing loyalty/unity, thus the choice will be made for us.
Loyalty/unity is needed for self-preservation. Without it we will cease to exist as a people.
Thank you for this very frank blog. I have read the forum with interest. I am 25 and about to graduate from law school and start a career in anti-racism, social justice work. I am bi-racial but pass for white ethnic generally: greek, sicilian, arab, latina, etc. I resemble a darker-haired Mariah Carey or Shakira.
While I have succeeded in life my brother, who is brown-skinned and absolutely does not pass for white, has failed. In and out of jail, struggling to find work and get an education. Our parents had an awful marriage and divorced long long ago. Our white mother is embarrassed to talk about race to this day. Our father is a black nationalist type who raised me since I was very small to see the evil of the idea of whiteness and all it stands for. I would never NOT want to know what he has taught me, but it was also the source of much pain for me. He pushed me to identify as black. But I have often felt like a fake and that it is just a fantasy, a means for me of rejecting whiteness and all the bad things it represents, but at the same time getting the benefits of being light skinned.
Recently, I broke up with my first love. He is white/ Jewish. Why? Because I was afraid to bring more white children into this world, instead of reverse “improving” the race and marrying someone non-white. I had always dreamed of having children who were darker than me as a way of making up for my deficiency, and as a way of learning more through my children about how to be a non-white person. A means of helping me feel like I belonged in the non-white world. Additionally, my father was beyond livid that I would think of marrying this white person. Since my brother doesn’t speak to him, I feel additional pressure to not break up the family more.
Yet my guy was ready to do everything he could for me to stay. He proposed that we adopt some non-white children, and pointed out how most of our friends are non-white including members of his family (his brother is with a non-white woman), and that this would be our world. Ultimately the guilt and fear were too much for me. I broke his heart, I think about him all the time.
I am racked with doubt, in particular: if I find a non-white man, why does he want me? Why not one of the many fabulous dark skinned women out there? Would it be enough that I identify with blackness on the inside?
Any insight would be appreciated. It is very hard to discuss these things frankly. My other bi-racial friends are all obviously non-white, and don’t face the same issues as me.
Thanks!
Hi Missy
I will write more later but my first thoughts are that it sounds like your first love is a perfect match for you - try to get back together with him! I also share your concerns about the motivations of non-white men who are interested in you.
Thanks, I look forward to any comments.
Our father is a black nationalist type who raised me since I was very small to see the evil of the idea of whiteness and all it stands for. I would never NOT want to know what he has taught me, but it was also the source of much pain for me. He pushed me to identify as black. But I have often felt like a fake and that it is just a fantasy, a means for me of rejecting whiteness and all the bad things it represents, but at the same time getting the benefits of being light skinned.
I actually explored the “racially conflicted black nationalist type man” in a post nearly two years ago.
http://racialrealist.wordpress.com/2006/05/21/i-love-black-menhowever-i-am-sceptical-about-overtly-afrocentric-men-2/
It sounds like your father fits this profile… I know exactly what you’re talking about because my own father has similar issues. Obviously I can’t identify with your situation in terms of looking white while being taught that whiteness is bad but I can imagine it has the potential to be very damaging to your self-esteem. Like I’ve said on numerous occasions on this blog, I think it is best to identify racially in terms of what you look like as opposed to what your parents might look like - I think your situation illustrates this point very well and demonstrates the potential dangers of being forced to identify with a group who you do not look like (in a society which is racially polarized). If black people want to have children with white people they need to understand that their children may have white social identities. To try and insist that they are black when they don’t look black is selfish and cruel.
As a biracial man, I have recently begun to embrace black culture. I started going to the local barbershop, where I can actually get my hair cut right. It is here that I can connect with my father’s heritage, and immerse myself in the culture.
In some ways I feel at home at this place, and in others I feel like an outsider - the result of finding the community later in life.
On the flip-side of things, my mother is German, the majority of my friends are white - the by-product of growing up in a predominately white community - and the few non-white friends I have are biracial and black.
I see myself not just as an amalgam of race but also of culture: My wife is Asian, I enjoy Japanese food and culture, soul food, jazz, rock & roll, and various other things.
The people I hang out with share my interests, and have similar goals in life. It is perhaps in this regard that I’ve found my community.
What gets me about what I’ve seen on this website, while containing some truths, is the notion that I have to choose a racial identity - more specifically the black community, or endure being labeled something.
I relate to the black community with respect to my father, but I also embrace my mother’s heritage equally.
Perhaps I am a product of my upbringing, or just completely disillusioned, but I don’t see the need to choose a side because of how dark or light my skin is, or how a racial group thinks I should. There will always be people in either race that hate you, and there will be those who embrace you. Bottomline: Choose your own home.
“Third, identifiably black “biracial” people need to show loyalty to the black group. Yes, it is madness to identify equally with “both sides” when both sides don’t show loyalty to you. At the end of the day, Black Americans accept black biracial people into the black community - or Black Americans wouldn’t be such a spectrum of different skin tones – however, white people have ALWAYS rejected identifiably Black Biracial people. ”
I can’t say that I agree with this. To ask a biracial person, whether visibly darker and therefore most times identified as black, to deny one half of who they are in order to claim loyalty to the other half has always been insane to me. Biracial people are just that, bi racial, no matter how dark they are. I think the notion is insane quite frankly.