The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

From time to time, I will get off of the busy highway of politics and current events and write about other things that have been on my mind. I hope you enjoy the post. Have a great Sunday!!

Right before our eyes, we are seeing our country become more and more diverse. If you are a person that likes change and variety, this can be very exciting. Otherwise, you are only just backing yourself into a lonely corner of the world that is getting smaller everyday.

Today, I still chuckle when I am on the road and I hear a car nearby loudly playing the latest Jay-Z cut with the base pumping, only to find out it is some 16 year old white guy. What really makes me want to holla is when he is trying to sport his gangsta lean in his 4 x 4 pickup truck! You know what, I love it! I love it because it shows me just how far we have come in this society as it relates to race. Many African-Americans today take pride in the fact that this same scene that I described is being played out all over the world. All over Europe and even the Eastern Block countries, people have learned to appreciate the contributions that African-Americans have made to our modern-day culture.

Why is it then when we (African-Americans) see a fellow Black person in this country that may not fit the typical mold of what we deem an African-American is supposed to be, we just dismiss them as “trying to be white?”

Throughout most of my childhood years as well as through college, I have seen Black people who don’t fit in the typical mold being ridiculed by fellow African-Americans over and over again. Sadly, there have been many times that I have been a part of the crowd that ridiculed.

I guess the way that I would describe the type of African-Americans that I am talking about would be as follows: Typically, most of their friends are non-Black, may not be up on the latest in Black culture (fashion, music, etc.), may live in the suburbs, have interests that are not considered the Black thing to do, etc. Not too long ago, I was talking to a fellow Black friend of mine, and he was telling me how some of his Black friends and family members could not quite understand why he would consider taking his sons camping and even signing them up for some skiing classes. To them, he was doing something that was considered white.

As I said earlier, as the world becomes more diverse, those that choose to reject the diversity will find themselves backed into a small corner of the world. When we as African-Americans see whites embracing our culture, in a weird way, many see this as a way of having white people on a hook for all the wrong that they did to us (finally, we have something that we created and they want it!–The scales are tipping in our favor). But if a Black person was to embrace white culture, the response would almost be something like, “How could you?” (or “How dare you tip the scale the other way?”)

We as African-Americans have a lot to offer the world (and I think that has been proven). But, you know what? The world has a lot to offer us as well. Although hip-hop culture is a vehicle that bridges other cultures together, its destination ultimately leads to Black culture (i.e. Black kids in the inner city do not learn about Russian life via hip-hop. It is usually the other way around). In addition to hip-hop, other bridges should be explored. Not all African-Americans that appear to “act white” are abandoning their race. Maybe they are just adapting to the uncharted world that is around them.