Columnist J. Michele Brown
Have you ever heard someone say things like, “She talks white,” “You mean you don’t know how to cook greens!” “He’s so ghetto” or (my favorite), “You aren’t really black”?
The topic really hit me as I walked through Pete’s of U. City with a friend, as he shopped for BBQ meat. It was a complete culture shock for me. It’s not Dierbergs of Chesterfield! The images of animal body parts I had never seen detached from a living animal are etched in my mind forever.
And the thought of eating them …
Many of us have had family and friends make fun of our ethnic lack, but we need to consider some things.
Let’s keep it real. There is a big difference between a sunny afternoon in Fairgrounds Park, as opposed to Creve Coeur Park. Need I go on? And think about this: Have you ever felt when you are working, dating or socializing within your ethnicity that you did not really fit in?
The mistake a lot us make is we forget that all black folk didn’t grow-up in a racially segregated inner city or Southern town. Many of us grew up in suburban neighborhoods, and others experienced many cultural influences.
Some of us speak the King’s English, and others are not so fluent. We all didn’t eat sweet potato pie; my personal preference is blueberry. Some of us enjoy rock, classical, Latin, jazz and reggae, as well as hip-hop and R&B.
So when a few co-workers talked about enjoying eating chitterlings, I simply said what I always say, “We are free now; we do not have to eat the parts that weren’t meant for human consumption. We can actually eat the pig meat!” But this is another one of the many things we still do since slavery.
So why do we still stereotype our own people? Take Condoleezza Rice, for example. She is the second African American to serve as National Security Advisor and the first woman to hold that office in the White House. Some of us put her down for being a Republican, for her hairstyle and for her so-called lack of ethnicity. Rarely did we as a community give her well-deserved accolades for being a brilliant mind from our community.
Our black experience may be different, but those differences – whether it’s where or how you grew up, what you have or don’t have, or whether your skin is light or dark – we are all still brothers and sisters, deserving of each other’s respect. Our black experiences should never divide us.
Segregation leads to prejudice, whereas integration leads to knowledge and knowledge is power. Our president’s ability to integrate and assimilate is why he is where he is today. Let’s learn to appreciate each other’s differences and build on them to make our communities successful and stronger.