Another day, another White person got caught frontin’ like she was Black. For years… you know what? I was going to recount her story, but she is already getting enough attention. I don’t need to go down that road. If ya’ll want to know the details, use the University of Google.
That said, this nonsense has got to stop.
White folks, I study Whiteness. I understand why ya’ll do this. To become White, your ancestors gave up the country of their homeland to assimilate into this thing called “Whiteness” – or what James Baldwin refers to as the “central lie of America.”
Your ancestors stopped being German, Polish, Italian, Irish, etc., and became this empty social category called “White.” While we can point to cultural traditions of the previously listed countries, what are the traditions of Whiteness? What is White culture? When I ask White people that question, I usually get crickets in response.
What does this historical context have to do with White people pretending to be Black? The lack of cultural roots means many White folks are divorced from their history. They have nothing to hold onto because Whiteness does not represent a culture in the productive sense.
That is the center of White culture is the oppression of People of Color. Those are the cultural ties that bind Whiteness together, and they were manifest in practices such as lynchings and minstrel shows. Beyond that, Whiteness is basically an empty social category.
Contemporarily, White people are suffering from the Faustian bargain their ancestors made – giving up their culture for social dominance.
There is an innate human desire to have some type of cultural and historical roots. These provide strength, guidance, and are foundational. From this perspective, I have empathy for White folks.
To have cultural traditions stripped away and replaced with the lie of Whiteness is both difficult and disorienting; however, your individual difficulty should not become an excuse to abuse others.
I use terms like “abuse” and “violence” intentionally in this space because that is what cultural theft is. It commodifies People of Color, making our cultures as disposable as a pair of jeans. Also, when White people try to “become Black” (something they can never do), their presentation is fraught with racist stereotypes. That is, in trying to adopt a culture that is not their own, White people are participating in the oppression of that very culture.
With that as context, I offer this brief letter.
Dear White People:
Your pursuit of the lie of Whiteness inflicts violence on Communities of Color. Your insistence on being someone you’re not is not just sad and pathetic, but it harms those you emulate. Your presentation as “authentically” [fill in the blank minority group] is nothing more than
A caricature
A tired stereotype
A modern-day minstrel show, minus the blackface
Just be yourself
If you don’t know how, grapple with your own history
Engage your own pain instead of harming others
Disrupt the lie of Whiteness instead of perpetuating it
Thank you.
Peace,
NC c/s
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