For the St. Louis American
Recently, it was discovered that the U.S. has set up covert prisons and interrogation sites for terror suspects in remote areas around the world. These detention center were dubbed “black sites.” Why “black”?
Mainstream white America has a long history of giving blackness evil, unhealthy, hostile and morbid representations. Any child with basic reading skills can easily find in any American dictionary calculated and multiple uses of the term “black” in ways that are peculiar and unfriendly.
Consider: Black market. Blacklist. Black eye. Black out. Black box. Black mood. Black magic. Black death. Black sheep. Black face. Black hand. Black head. Black hole. Blackshirt. Blackmail. Blackleg. Blackball. Black mark. The list goes on and on.
These negative ways of symbolizing blackness are in daily use in human circles of all kinds, including by black-skinned persons. These symbols are used literally without one seemingly thinking about skin color. You should think about it, though, if you are of African ancestry, heritage and identity. Each time a white, Hispanic, Asian or any other non-black person uses these symbols, he is consciously or unconsciously referring to the color black in a way that is inferior. This should be of concern to any black person – particularly when the symbol white has been historically free of negative representations.
People of African descent should learn to avoid using these long-standing, dispiriting and denigrating symbols. Black scholars of the English language should start a campaign for the removal of these negative usages from standard dictionaries.
Meanwhile, perhaps alternative symbols should be drawn from whiteness to ensure equal linguistic fairness. How about: White Bennett – Any person known for making racially charged or racist words; any person known for uttering genocidal comments. Or white Thomas – Any person known for his extreme legal views. (For more white-oriented symbols, get a copy of this author’s book, Back Then and Right Now in the History of Psychology: A History of Human Psychology in African perspectives for the New Millennium, published by the Author House in August 2004.)
Let’s end with some new black symbols. Black Clinton – Anyone known for glorious, open-minded, fascinating, intriguing and sweet leadership. Black Rosa – Anyone known for risking her life in the struggle for equal opportunity; anyone known for fighting for racial justice. Black Parks – Anyone who inspires the spirit of human freedom; anyone known for galvanizing civil rights; anyone viewed as the mother of liberty; the mother of America.
Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D is a practicing clinical and forensic psychologist in Miami, Florida. Email: JOS5930458@aol.com.