Frost Illustrated - June 19, 2007

 

Running away from blackness

Blackonomics

By James Clingman

 

s they say in New York, "Fa-get about it!" It's sad to see some of our brothers and sisters making every attempt to deny who and what they are. We hear it in their statements, we see it in their actions and we feel it in our relationships with one another. Plain and simply, some black folks are trying to run away from their blackness. They do it in all sorts of ways, but it's mainly to appease white people in hope they will see a "different kind of black person." That's how O.J. Simpson used to be characterized, before they showed him the doorway back to his blackness- even though he still has not taken the hint. Now it's being said about Barack Obama: "…he is not black in the usual way," said one white commentator.

We have some serious psychological problems, obvious vestiges of our conditioning and maintenance over several generations, but trying to run away from whom we are is the height of madness for black people; besides, it's rife with futility. It is also shameful considering the legacy left to us by our forebears. Are they lying cold in their graves now, having sacrificed themselves for our true freedom, for a cause from which we are now trying to distance ourselves?

Obama's statement, "…There is no Black America" is indicative of a fear that we will be alienated from white people if we do not give deference to them by suggesting that we are really not black, but rather we are "neutral." It seems to me they would want us to be who we are rather than pretend and play silly games. When it's all said and done, they will make their decisions about us based on their respective social paradigms and parameters anyway. So why are we scared? Why try to run away from your blackness?

Obama tells blacks not to vote for him because he is black, which I am sure is is highly appreciated by his corporate donors and the Washington status quo. It is also a very condescending statement to make and suggests black people aren't sophisticated enough to decide based on qualifications. On second thought, that might indeed be the case. We gave in to Clarence Thomas because he was black, didn't we? But, have you ever heard white candidates tell white folks not to vote for them simply because they are white? We always have to make other people feel comfortable, don't we? Obama knows full well that millions of blacks will vote for him simply because he is black, but to tell us not to do so brings credence to the contention that he really isn't "…black in the usual way."

If being black doesn't mean anything, if there is no Black America, why do black folks get excited about Bob Johnson, Tiger Woods, Serena and Venus, Oprah, Shani Davis (Olympic speed skater), Dominique Dawes and Debbie Thomas? Why are we constantly discussing the possibility that Obama could be "the first" black president (John Hanson notwithstanding) if blackness means nothing in this country, or if it does not even exist? Why do we have an annual "State of Black America" report and forum?

Yes, Barack, there is a Black America, and other Americas too, just as there are 50 separate states rather than one country with no internal borders. Our problem is that we are merely emotional about it, which is why we still place so much value on "the first black."

Some black people are just too busy embracing diversity rather than embracing their blackness first. Who, other than black folks, do you hear promoting "diversity" and allowing themselves to be called "minorities?" When is the last time you heard an Italian person denounce the "Little Italy" communities across this country? When have you seen Chinese people decry China Towns? When have you heard Hispanics say, "Down with La Raza, we are one America?" Trying to run away from who we are is embarrassing, unconscionable and cowardly. It also speaks volumes about our selfhate.

Newsflash! You cannot run away from being black! You can't get promoted from being black; you can't move away from being black; and you can't get enough money to change your blackness (Sorry, Michael). Wherever you go, there your blackness will be also. Whatever you do, your blackness will do it with you. So you may as well settle in and get down to business for your people, just as others are doing in this country-just as we used to do in this country, prior to "integration."

America comprises a tapestry of nations; it's not just one nation, as the politicians would have you believe. That's utopian rhetoric, pabulum for black people, because we are the only ones who buy the hype. White folks are circling their wagons right now at the specter of being outnumbered by so-called "minorities." Hispanics are carving out their piece of the economic pie by unapologetically working in support of one another.

So-called American Indians, after having raked in billions from their hotels, casinos and golf courses, are now branching out to other business ventures, off the reservation. Koreans, Vietnamese and Chinese are making moves to control more industries in America. Pakistanis and Indians are buying all the businesses they can find. What are black people doing, collectively, to improve and solidify our position in this nation of nations? We are trying to run away from our blackness, which, if we succeed, will only cause us to disappear.

Why is nationalistic action bad only when it is promoted by black people? The groups I mentioned, as well as Jewish people here and abroad, are all nationalistic;. Joel Kotkin calls them "Tribes." So what's it going to be, Black America? Nationalism or nihilism?

James E. Clingman, an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati's African American Studies department, is former editor of the Cincinnati Herald Newspaper and founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce. He hosts the radio program, "Blackonomics" and has written several books, including "Economic Empowerment or Economic Enslavement-We have a Choice," "Blackonomics" and the recently published "Black-o- Knowledge-Stuff we need to know." Clingman's books are available at his Web site, www.blackonomics.com. He can be contacted there or by telephone at (513) 489-****.

* * *