Yes, this is an actual question I have been asked.
White people are surprised that we exist. In the everyday. In the here and now. That we have similar (but different) parenting struggles. That we complain about our jobs for similar (but different) reasons. That some Black people like watermelon and some don't.
Do Black people drink coffee? Yes, I have actually been asked this. You may cringe at this question but not actually know why it is cringeworthy. Let me explain.
February is Black History Month.
Black History Month began as Negro History Week in 1926. During the early 1970s, it became known as Black History Week. In 1976, it expanded to Black History Month. It wasn't until 1995, that the House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada.
The very little public education that is done about the lives of Black people has generally been confined to "Black History Month". During these 4 weeks, in the shortest month of the year, most of what is discussed is displacement, slavery, and trauma. The narrative of Black people becomes "poor, uneducated Black people living in the ghetto and not able to get out of their slavery mindset to make it in this world". Don't get me wrong, it is SO IMPORTANT to learn our history (and the whole story, not just the whitewashed one) in order to learn from our mistakes, but Black people are so much more than trauma.
Enter: Black Excellence
The term or phrase "Black Excellence" was born out of the civil rights movement in an attempt to disprove white minimalistic expectations and negative stereotypes about Black people. It was directly challenging the idea that Black people could not excel while encouraging an increase in Black pride and self-love in the Black community.
We now see the hashtag #BlackExcellence used to share with the world the achievements of Black people. On Instagram there are over 115K posts that use this tag. We see posts for Black actresses and actors, world class athletes, PhD and Masters graduates, start-up founders and entrepreneurs making bank. The focus has shifted from celebrating the successes of all Black people to now mostly highlights of those in the upper echelons of "success" with success meaning money, power, and fame.
Don't get me wrong, celebrating Black Excellence is SO IMPORTANT as representation matters. It is important for little Black kids to see that glass ceilings can be broken, that limitations can be surpassed, and that dreams are not futile. However, now the two widely accepted narratives for Black people are
Slavery >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Black Excellence
which then creates the problem where regular white folk don't even know if Black people drink coffee.
They are surprised that we go on vacation. That our kids are good academic students. That our bodies physically feel pain the same and that we don't have some genetic disposition to not feel pain (Google it. This idea is f*cked up).
White people are surprised that we exist. In the everyday. In the here and now. That we have similar (but different) parenting struggles. That we complain about our jobs for similar (but different) reasons. That some Black people like watermelon and some don't.
This is everyday Blackness.
This is Black teachers, Black nurses, Black small business owners, Black creatives, Black life coaches, Black parents, Black kids.
And it is enough.
#BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #BlackCanadians #Canada #CanadianHistory #EverydayBlackness #Slavery #BlackSucccess #SystemicOppression #SystemicRacism #BlackLivesMatter #CoffeeLover #CoffeeTime #AntiracistParenting #RaisingLeaders #Parenting #Antiracism #SocialJustice #MomsAgainstRacism
