racismschool:

I was listening to Aisha Tyler’s Podcast and in one episode, her guest was Toure. It was an interesting interview but he said something that really stuck with me. He said “Black is portable.”

This simple line really felt like a profound statement. It was short and sweet but a powerful notion. 

They were talking about “What it meant to be black.” As if there was a “How to” guide. There isn’t. This has been a life long ongoing pet peeve of mine. I hate this idea that “Being black” has a set of instructions. Even more offensive to me is that more often than not, the things people seem to qualify as “Black” are negative things. When is the last time you heard someone say “You got straight A’s? Why are you trying to act black all of a sudden?” I don’t give a shit who you are or where you live. You have never heard someone say that in your entire life. Yes, it’s offensive but more than that, it’s irritating. Yes, white people put a lot of these definitions on us over long periods of time buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut…why the fuck are WE perpetuating the stereotype? No, this isn’t going to be about how white people fucked things up. This is going to be about the acceptance of an idea that we KNOW is wrong.

I wish I could say that I’d never heard a black person question another black person’s blackness over something as trivial as music or clothing. It’s disgusting. What EXACTLY is the black uniform? In my situation, because I’m bi-racial I almost got a pass. It was a fucked up, dismissive pass but a pass still. People would say “You listen to Country music? Oh that’s the white side of you coming out.” As if no black people ever listened to Country music. What is that shit? Anyway, moving on…

The idea itself is a flawed one. There can not be a “Black list” because if there is, that would mean that anyone who fulfilled said list could in fact be black. To those that think black people should dress a certain way, if you see a white person dressed in that fashion, do you then decide that they have met the criteria and are now black? I am going to have trouble believing you if you say yes.

Just so we’re clear though, I’ve heard this forced on people from both sides. For example- Black Guy A asking Black Guy B why he was dressing white. As well as, Black Guy F asking Black Guy G why he was “Acting black” (said in the negative of course) so it isn’t even a “Type” of person that says it. Either way, it’s wrong and it’s ugly.

What Toure was saying is that “Black is portable” as in, you are black no matter where you go. You can (and literally do) take it with you everywhere. 

What it means to be black is…YOU WERE BORN BLACK.

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    Finally. An intelligent approach

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