I support black on black violence! I’m not talking about
the World Star Hip Hop videos that get millions of views each month; I mean
succinct, logical arguments made by any black person that systematically
dismantle truncated and racially insensitive narratives parroted by another
black person at the expense of our community. When black people act on behalf
of white supremacy they need to be shown the error of their ways and given a
chance to make amends; however, if that doesn’t work, they should be
intellectually dragged throughout social media and the blogosphere as a sign of
what happens to those who knowingly denigrate blackness in favor of their own
socioeconomic advancement.
Every ethnic group has some internal criteria they use to
create artificial hierarchies. The black community has used skin pigmentation,
hair texture, and even eye color as the basis for these distinctions. The
psychological effects of generational white supremacist indoctrination are so
powerful that they still cause some of us to denigrate our own genetic code.
The lie of white supremacy governs American society in implicit and explicit
ways, but it also lives in the minds of too many black people. This cruel fact
allows white supremacy to show up in places where white people are absent, and
fuels the need some blacks feel to measure their intellect and success against
white standards. This is a sickness many won’t be cured of. Too often the
desire to be viewed as different causes fissures between individuals and
community. The lies told about black people can harm members of other races,
but they cripple the black people who believe them.
I understand wanting to rise above the negative stereotypes
and imagery associated with black life. It’s stressful carrying around
psychological baggage someone else packed for you. I’ve lived and worked in
predominantly white environments the majority of my life. The temptation to
succumb to the trap of white acceptance is as real as the air we breathe. No
one’s ever overtly asked me to distance myself from the black community, but
I’ve been in situations where the opportunity to slide into the “different than
the others” category has been extended. These opportunities take the form of
water cooler discussions about racial hot topics and/or other existential
questions about blackness in America. You may consciously or unconsciously be
asked to center white feelings about race at a time of black suffering. Almost
5 years after the death of Trayvon Martin our community should be united in
saying Black Lives Matter, but too many professional blacks have retreated to
the political and economic safe space called All Lives Matter.
All of the educational, political, and economic
distinctions black people have created to distinguish ourselves from our
community are imaginary. They have gravitas in our heads and maybe among our
contemporaries, but they purchase very little in a society that stigmatizes
black skin of any hue. Here’s a quick question: who had a higher net worth
Walter Scott or Terrence Crutcher? It doesn’t matter because both are dead.
Denigrating blackness in exchange for white acceptance isn’t a viable solution
to America’s race problem. Denial can’t insulate you from racial profiling and
discrimination. No level of self-aggrandizement can make someone who’s never
accepted you accept you. Racism functions with or without black consent.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines an Uncle Tom as: a
black who is overeager to win the approval of whites (as by obsequious behavior
or uncritical acceptance of white values and goals). This term is almost
exclusively used to describe the 5-7% of blacks who identify as Conservative or
Republican, but the reality is: Progressives, Democrats, and non-political
blacks are just as invested in the fruits of white approval. Dr. Michael
Parenti once said, "a journalist who writes for a publication can write
what they want, as long as what they write pleases their editor." This is
analogous to the way a lot of black people conduct themselves in predominantly
white spaces. We talk about freedom, but too many of our people aren't free
enough to speak out against systems that disproportionately affect our
community. If you willfully engage in the denial of racism or remain silent
when a black voice is needed you should look inside yourself and ask what you
are putting ahead of your ancestry and progeny.
My goal isn't to deflect or silence meaningful criticism of
our community. I’ve intentionally avoided personally attacking my colleagues
who willfully engage in this one-sided violence against poor and less educated
blacks. The black community loses when our intellectuals and
pseudointellectuals act like mixtape rappers. I don’t want anyone physically
harmed for their beliefs; likewise, I don’t want people building and
maintaining platforms on the back of black suffering. You can’t love people you
constantly distance yourself from. As a community, we should welcome a variety
of economic and political ideas into the conversation, but not if those ideas
are focused on obfuscating the realities black people face. One sure fire way
to avoid being labeled an “Uncle Tom” is to support black people in public:
especially when It’s not the politically expedient thing to do.
