The Hard Truth – You can only be ‘too’ Black

8th August 2011   ·   0 Comments

By Min. J Kojo Livingston
Contributing Columnist

Part I

It is always of interest to me that in the realm or discussion of ethnic/race issues there is only one group can be faulted for expressing the slightest interest in its own well-being. Of course that group is Black people. You can only be “too” Black.

“Too” Black means inappropriately concerned about the advancement and treatment of Black people. “Too” Black means overly interested in one’s history, culture and future development.

You would think that since Blacks occupy the bottom of most lists of good things in this society, other groups would be excited about any effort we made to improve our status and condition. The opposite is true. It wouldn’t be so bad if other groups where busy giving their wealth and attention to our needs. Of course they’re not. Why should they?

Fortunately for everyone else, Black is the only ethnic/racial designation that is capable of being “too.”

You can’t be “too” white.

White people own and control every major industry, all major media, all major institutions (including most of the “Black” ones) and both political parties in the United States. Yet the U.S. is not “too” white. What you believe about God came from or through them. In fact you and I can’t even discuss our own liberation unless we use a white man’s language to communicate. TV shows, movies and even billboards teach us that white people are morally and intellectually better than others. Department of Justice statistics show that white people get arrested more but get charged and convicted less than other people. Why? Because white cops, sheriffs, district attorneys and judges work together to make sure that white people who are arrested do not face the same penalties that people of color get. Still the system is not “too” white.

You certainly can’t be too Asian. Asians stick together and, oddly, we admire them for that. Asians circulate their money through their own communities. In fact, for a dollar to get out of an Asian neighborhood it has to plan a breakout. But they are not “too” Asian. In most major cities there are sections of town where you can’t even read the signs on businesses because they are printed in Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese or Korean…yet they are still not “too” Asian. They teach their children their history, language and culture. Their images of Biblical figures are made to look like them…and they still haven’t earned their “too” yet.

You can’t be “too” Hispanic. People come here from Mexico and other nations. They may fill up a house with people and work for peanuts until they can start buying property. They stick together and build communities. They often speak English as a second language. Still not “too.” In every major city you will find both magazines and newspapers that you can’t even read unless you know Spanish, yet they are not “too” Hispanic or Latin.

In Shreveport, Louisiana and many other cities some Blacks settle to have a “minority” business council or chamber to pretend they aren’t trying to promote their own people (as if that’s a bad thing). Hispanics generally refuse to go along with the game and form their own Hispanic Business Council. They feel no need to “beat around the bush” or lie about their intentions.

You can’t be “too” Arabic. Walk into most Arab stores and you don’t know whether they are discussing business or yo’ mama. They proudly speak their native language. They are so effective at sticking together economically that they own most of the retail outlets and corner stores in Black communities across the nation. They are absolutely, unabashedly committed to the advancement of their people. They even have Arabic radio and TV stations. Like some other immigrant groups, they make money here and send a bunch of it back “home.” But they are not “too” Arab.

You can’t be “too” Irish, Italian, German, or East Indian. Each of these groups has its own holidays and holy days. Most of them speak with fondness, reverence and concern for the land of their ancestors…even if they have never visited there. Many learn the languages and practice the customs and values of the land of their origins. They invest — not spend — large sums of money celebrating who they are, yet they are not “too.”

And do I really need to bring the Jewish community into this little discussion? Can you even imagine the words “too” and “Jewish” being combined in a sentence to describe a person of that group?

Each of the groups cited above will work with other ethnic groups to accomplish a common objective, but they do it strategically and almost always on their own terms.

There is only one ethnic group who is routinely criticized for working together to pursue its own interests. Only one group is castigated for expressing pride and commitment to itself. Only one group fears to do what every other group on earth does naturally. It’s us, the Black people.

It’s called Black exceptionalism. It means that some rules apply ONLY to us. Why does this happen? Because we fall for it.

We actually watch other people work together for themselves and prosper then we let the same people convince us to avoid following their example. Worse yet, we go around talking about who is “too” Black.

How do we break out of this cycle?

Let’s discuss that next week.

Until then, remember this: You can’t assume power while begging for acceptance.

…and that’s the Hard Truth!

This article was originally published in the August 8, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper