On Skip Gates and What It Means to Have a Black President
According to NYT writer Katharine Q. Seelye, “Americans got a rare glimpse Wednesday night of what it means to have a black president in the Oval Office.” It’s not exactly clear what that quote means; but one could suppose she is saying Americans now have a president who will, if not put a spotlight on the elephant in the country that is racism, will, in fact, point to it and say, “See? It’s right there.” And this elephant is so large and so looming that there’s a strong possibility even the President of the United States can be confused for (or, in many cases, is still seen as) “just another n*gger.” No, unfortunately, Barack Obama, even with his white mama, isn’t the “magic bullet” that can kill this elephant. It’s not even certain the elephant made a grunt of pain when Obama was elected. Maybe it rolled its eyes and huffed a bit and muttered, “I can deal with this for four years; eight max, though.” It’s like when that first black family moves on the block (and no doubt those “first black families” are still moving to this day-let alone to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue), and people wonder about property values or the “ complexion changes” of the neighborhood. That was why the woman had called the police on Professor Gates; because if Professor Gates had been white and was trying to shoulder his way inside, it’s doubtful the woman would’ve called. In fact, she probably would’ve asked if she could help with anything and laughingly shared her own anecdote about “fussy doors.” But it’s problematic that someone who works on Harvard’s campus doesn’t recognize one of the most famous faces on campus.
But all people of color look the same, though, especially if the person is “just another x”, because if someone is “just another x”, then one doesn’t need to pay attention to someone as an individual or gather context clues that would prevent the scenario that happened on Ware Street in Cambridge. Or one would pay enough attention to someone who is asking for clarification of guidelines do something that one’s response would not be, “You don’t sound dedicated enough for this endeavor.”[i] Or maybe one would even pay enough attention that when seeing three black women in a room wearing jeans and T-shirts, while one is ironing and the other two are sitting on the bed, that one doesn’t come into the room and automatically assume they are housekeeping.
All this to say, “racial profiling” is what civilian folk call “stereotyping”. It’s what many people of color, in this case black folk, describe as “Driving While Black”; “Shopping While Black”, “Walking While Black”, or, a new term, “Entering One’s House While Black.” It’s being pulled over for driving too nice a car and claim a car had been stolen that fit the description.[ii] It’s being told straight to one’s face with a broad smile to “remember to buy the dress before leaving the store”.[iii] It’s waiting at the door to be seated at a restaurant for thirty minutes, watching other people come in and being seated in the meantime, before finally being given service.[iv] It’s people giving one odd looks as one walks into her college dorm, because when they had gone to school, their dorm-mates hadn’t looked a thing like her.[v] It’s alumni asking if the entertainment had been flown in for the festivities even though the group had been introduced as club from campus.
People of color negotiate these profilings every single day, and most of the time, people of color let it ride. So it’s actually insulting to say Professor Gates is reading more into it or “pulling the race card” as if he doesn’t have every right to do so. First of all, the race card is still in the deck; second of all, the ones who seem more quick to draw it are not people of color. You’d think the folk who actually have to deal with racism day in and day out know 1.) what it is, 2.) how to label it, 3.) and do so. It sounds eerily like those “tone” arguments that infiltrates fandom communities when Fans of Color (FoC) call out people on their racist thoughts/racism. That FoC don’t have the right to be upset and if so, should “tone down” their anger so white people’s sensibilities won’t be bruised. Because FoC’s sensibilities don’t matter, after all, so who cares if they’re insulted/offended/hurt? So an already-irritated black man is further irritated by a cop investigating a possible break-in who won’t leave after realizing the black man is actually in his house, essentially and not politely tells the cop to “get out”, but then ends up arrested on a very weak charge because the white cop’s pride is bruised? And the black man deserved it? Obviously, a man doesn’t get respect just because of his uniform or his title, otherwise there wouldn’t be all these “Birthers” going around in denial about Barack Obama’s rightful election to the presidency; or seeing an older black man with a cane and his things in his house wouldn’t still be treated as a criminal when he is clearly not one. The term “uppity” has been used, which is mainly problematic because “uppity” while the dictionary term is “putting on or marked by airs of superiority”; it seems to mean “standing up for one’s self without asking permission to do so first; asserting oneself as an equal individual.” The president is “uppity”; Michelle Obama is “uppity”; Professor Gates is “uppity.” Adrenee Freeman was “uppity.”[vi] Many more people of color are “uppity”, but they aren’t sexy enough to make the nightly news until it appears to interfere with a white person’s right to go on as usual.
Which is probably what it really means to have a black president-making the “invisible” elephant of racism inconveniently visible to everyone and daring folk to do something about it.
[i] I was asking for clarification as to what were my options to writing a creative English thesis or a traditional English thesis. She was the new head of the English department and had never met me before until this meeting. Meanwhile, I went to the head of the Creative Writing in the English department and he told me he didn’t think I’d have a problem writing poetry or prose creative English thesis because he’d seen my work. Oh, yeah, I kicked ass on it too (which is fitting, since it kicked mine all senior year!).
[ii] This happened when I was about seven or eight. My mother was driving me to school and a cop pulled us over with this claim. He skedaddled when my mother 1.) smiled and 2.) said she was a lawyer. I remember asking her why he would assume she’d stolen a car (and I’m sure my 7/8-year-old self was as aghast as a child could be). I don’t think she ever answered me, though.
[iii] This happened to me when I was a senior in high school. My friend (also black) and I were shopping for long black dresses because we were playing Carnegie Hall. The first store we went into, the sales attendant (white) immediately approached us and asked if she could help us with anything and we weren’t a good half-foot into the store. We didn’t stay long there. The second store we went into was just us and the sales attendant (Asian) who gave us a second to browse, then she approached us. We told her what we needed and she was helpful. Then she reminded us not to leave the store without paying first. Friend and I stared at each other for a minute, then we proceeded to take dresses off the rack and then walk all around the store as we “browsed”, the sales attendant staring at us like a hawk the entire time. Then we dumped the dresses somewhere and left.
[iv] Happened to my sister and her group of friends (all of whom are black and college-educated, although that shouldn’t matter in theory) about two weeks ago in San Francisco.
[v] There was some sort of alumni function going on and these were old House members. I was coming home (from Kuumba rehearsal probably) and this man and his wife stopped and stared at me as I entered the dorm with looks of utter “wtf?” on their faces.
[vi] And my mama. :)
But all people of color look the same, though, especially if the person is “just another x”, because if someone is “just another x”, then one doesn’t need to pay attention to someone as an individual or gather context clues that would prevent the scenario that happened on Ware Street in Cambridge. Or one would pay enough attention to someone who is asking for clarification of guidelines do something that one’s response would not be, “You don’t sound dedicated enough for this endeavor.”[i] Or maybe one would even pay enough attention that when seeing three black women in a room wearing jeans and T-shirts, while one is ironing and the other two are sitting on the bed, that one doesn’t come into the room and automatically assume they are housekeeping.
All this to say, “racial profiling” is what civilian folk call “stereotyping”. It’s what many people of color, in this case black folk, describe as “Driving While Black”; “Shopping While Black”, “Walking While Black”, or, a new term, “Entering One’s House While Black.” It’s being pulled over for driving too nice a car and claim a car had been stolen that fit the description.[ii] It’s being told straight to one’s face with a broad smile to “remember to buy the dress before leaving the store”.[iii] It’s waiting at the door to be seated at a restaurant for thirty minutes, watching other people come in and being seated in the meantime, before finally being given service.[iv] It’s people giving one odd looks as one walks into her college dorm, because when they had gone to school, their dorm-mates hadn’t looked a thing like her.[v] It’s alumni asking if the entertainment had been flown in for the festivities even though the group had been introduced as club from campus.
People of color negotiate these profilings every single day, and most of the time, people of color let it ride. So it’s actually insulting to say Professor Gates is reading more into it or “pulling the race card” as if he doesn’t have every right to do so. First of all, the race card is still in the deck; second of all, the ones who seem more quick to draw it are not people of color. You’d think the folk who actually have to deal with racism day in and day out know 1.) what it is, 2.) how to label it, 3.) and do so. It sounds eerily like those “tone” arguments that infiltrates fandom communities when Fans of Color (FoC) call out people on their racist thoughts/racism. That FoC don’t have the right to be upset and if so, should “tone down” their anger so white people’s sensibilities won’t be bruised. Because FoC’s sensibilities don’t matter, after all, so who cares if they’re insulted/offended/hurt? So an already-irritated black man is further irritated by a cop investigating a possible break-in who won’t leave after realizing the black man is actually in his house, essentially and not politely tells the cop to “get out”, but then ends up arrested on a very weak charge because the white cop’s pride is bruised? And the black man deserved it? Obviously, a man doesn’t get respect just because of his uniform or his title, otherwise there wouldn’t be all these “Birthers” going around in denial about Barack Obama’s rightful election to the presidency; or seeing an older black man with a cane and his things in his house wouldn’t still be treated as a criminal when he is clearly not one. The term “uppity” has been used, which is mainly problematic because “uppity” while the dictionary term is “putting on or marked by airs of superiority”; it seems to mean “standing up for one’s self without asking permission to do so first; asserting oneself as an equal individual.” The president is “uppity”; Michelle Obama is “uppity”; Professor Gates is “uppity.” Adrenee Freeman was “uppity.”[vi] Many more people of color are “uppity”, but they aren’t sexy enough to make the nightly news until it appears to interfere with a white person’s right to go on as usual.
Which is probably what it really means to have a black president-making the “invisible” elephant of racism inconveniently visible to everyone and daring folk to do something about it.
[i] I was asking for clarification as to what were my options to writing a creative English thesis or a traditional English thesis. She was the new head of the English department and had never met me before until this meeting. Meanwhile, I went to the head of the Creative Writing in the English department and he told me he didn’t think I’d have a problem writing poetry or prose creative English thesis because he’d seen my work. Oh, yeah, I kicked ass on it too (which is fitting, since it kicked mine all senior year!).
[ii] This happened when I was about seven or eight. My mother was driving me to school and a cop pulled us over with this claim. He skedaddled when my mother 1.) smiled and 2.) said she was a lawyer. I remember asking her why he would assume she’d stolen a car (and I’m sure my 7/8-year-old self was as aghast as a child could be). I don’t think she ever answered me, though.
[iii] This happened to me when I was a senior in high school. My friend (also black) and I were shopping for long black dresses because we were playing Carnegie Hall. The first store we went into, the sales attendant (white) immediately approached us and asked if she could help us with anything and we weren’t a good half-foot into the store. We didn’t stay long there. The second store we went into was just us and the sales attendant (Asian) who gave us a second to browse, then she approached us. We told her what we needed and she was helpful. Then she reminded us not to leave the store without paying first. Friend and I stared at each other for a minute, then we proceeded to take dresses off the rack and then walk all around the store as we “browsed”, the sales attendant staring at us like a hawk the entire time. Then we dumped the dresses somewhere and left.
[iv] Happened to my sister and her group of friends (all of whom are black and college-educated, although that shouldn’t matter in theory) about two weeks ago in San Francisco.
[v] There was some sort of alumni function going on and these were old House members. I was coming home (from Kuumba rehearsal probably) and this man and his wife stopped and stared at me as I entered the dorm with looks of utter “wtf?” on their faces.
[vi] And my mama. :)