What Did You Learn This Black History Month? Let’s Ask Two Girls From Gainesville, FL…
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Young Writer
SpkTruth2Pwr
I am very interested in foreign policy matters, but I love discussing politics, world affairs, and social movements/issues, because I believe awareness is the key to fixing many issues in this society. I realize that I am becoming more and more overwhelmed by the apathy with which people worldwide can have toward issues. I want to draw attention to various issues somehow, and I am doing it by doing what I know best - analyzing and offering recommendations. For every viewer or reader that sees this, hopefully their mind is impacted in some way.
A couple of days ago, I had the chance to experience ignorance unabated.
Perhaps you have had the opportunity to read/hear about two young ladies – high school students at Gainesville High School – and their analysis of black people. If you have not, check it out…
How does that make you feel? Nothing like good ol’ fashioned ignorance and racism to start your day off right!
When I saw this video, I had so many thoughts to convey, all wrapped up in a pretty little bow I like to call anger. I was completely floored by their loose interpretation of decency. They made every effort to identify black stereotypes, make caricatures of them, and then tie it back to the “this is why black people make me upset” bottom line of the video. Most important, I was upset that these girls were passing judgment on black people because they weren’t like them.
This video provided so many ignorant quotables and misinformation, I could easily author a book. Had I written the post when I first saw the video, I would be looking for a publisher. But really, this issue is not with the individual statements (well yeah it is…did she really just say “niggers”?). What transcended the individual statements were:
The fact that these white girls were so comfortable doing this, which says a lot about the conversations that still need to occur about race.
That these girls had a lack of understanding about poverty vs. privilege.
That this rant occurred during a time celebrating black achievement.
1. These girls used every stereotype they could. My first thought was, where did they learn their facts? Parents? Maybe not entirely. They felt so comfortable broadcasting these thoughts on social media, I have to believe that society has conveyed to them that some of these characterizations are far from taboo. There are so many examples of black people in American culture, but if we think about which examples are painting the truest picture of racial equality, we might have a serious debate. It is like knowing a word exists, and then understanding the proper use of the word. Everyone has likely heard of racial equality; however, how many people understand the concept in practice or understands what it looks like? These girls clearly lacked a thorough understanding of how racial equality has been impacted by our American history. Not only did these two girls believe it appropriate to define a people by their stereotypes, but they also chose to blame blacks folks exclusively for not having all America had to offer.
2. These girls called themselves spitting facts and pointing out the “obvious” about black folk. And to be honest, they hit on some real issues. There are a lot of people in poverty in the black community. A lot of black kids grow up much less educated than their white counterparts when looking at test scores over time. There is an issue with teenage pregnancy in the black community. The black community definitely spends its money. But these girls then proceeded to blame the community for their circumstances. For them, if you wanted to be educated, go learn. If you want to buy a steak, go make money. If you want a job, go apply for one. The problem with their simplistic view? Its simplistic. These girls relegated black folks to lazy, shiftless, negroes that are in their circumstances because they don’t have their priorities in order. Save that “hard work pays off” ish for the 1 percent. Unbeknownst to these girls, many poor black people are in poverty because there are not two incomes to support the household. Many poor black people are looking for jobs, but do not meet the minimum qualifications because they couldn’t attain the relevant skills from college, or never went to a high school that had the resources to show them that world. Black kids want the latest and greatest in clothing, cars, and apparel, because companies market heavily to the black community and the black dollar’s buying power. These girls spoke from a position of privilege. Her story about her grandfather emigrating from Cuba clearly did not have any deeper impact on her. Her family probably knew what it meant to have to struggle and deal with circumstances out of their control. But that is probably a history she didn’t care to learn. Her separation of black folks into black people and niggers also blew my mind. Those “black people” she sees, are more often the exception, rather than the rule. Her “black best friend” is the exception, and not the rule. She is privileged. Privilege is NOT a rule.
3. These two girls are likely not an exception when it comes to perceptions of black people in America. Even in 2012. There is a great deal of miseducation that still exists in this country, because of the “black” stories society is exposed to. With stories of exceptionalism like President Barack Obama or professional athletes, mixed with news of black communities affected by gangs, drugs, and violence, maybe America sees the racial equality narrative as “Black America has the tools they need to succeed, if only more of them would apply themselves and work hard.” But if America is a workshop, and opportunity is our toolbox, then Black America is working with some broken hammers and dull blades; some worn shovels, and broken spades. The fact that some black people have found a way to build a house with those tools or cultivate a garden does not mean that the tools are adequate for the task. Black History Month is a great celebration of black achievement, but maybe it is also an opportunity to talk about black need. Because black people have achieved so much since MLK first has his dream, yet blacks also deal with some of the same economic challenges and educational hurdles from 50-60 years ago. There is opportunity, but there are also barriers. In my mind, knowledge is the best cure for ignorance, and perhaps Black History Month could be an opportunity for schools to do less of the obligatory famous black people laminates on the wall, along with famous black people quotes, with a reading of “I Have A Dream” year after year. After listening to these girls, I asked myself if these girls would have spoken so ignorantly if they were confronted with a real conversation about Black History within American History throughout their lives.
Perhaps these girls were so far gone on their rant that no amount of exposure or conversation could influence their mindset. But this video made very real for me the need to have real conversations, so that society can really begin to understand what is real versus what is stereotypical. So that the root of the issues these girls ridiculed can actually be addressed rather than ignored or discounted as a byproduct of laziness or lack of priorities.
This story doesn’t end with these girls and their extreme ignorance. Gainesville HS later removed these two girls from the school; apparently the school administration didn’t get down with that type of thinking. Neither did the black or white kids at Gainesville High. You should watch/read the story here. It is good to see that the response within the Gainesville community was not to ignore these girls, or to even agree with them. They rejected this type of thinking. My hope is that, in communities across the nation, we can all do our part to reject ignorance, and continue a constructive conversation on race.
