What is "really Black"?

5 replies · 1467 views · Started by NeoSoulBrotha · Feb 2007

Rosedale, MD

NeoSoulBrotha Rosedale, MD

Is there such a thing as being "authentically Black"? If a Black person doesn't fit the traditional mold, is he/she less Black or a "sell-out" in your eyes? What do you think about a Black person who isn't into the hip hop culture (speaks using traditional English, dresses conservatively). What about someone who is into typically White culture ie. listens to rock/alternative music, fashion etc. On the same note, what about a White or Latino person who is into Black culture and history?

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theTRUTH · Feb 2007

#1 Reply

Black people have expanded their horizons so much so, that there is not one category to lump us all in. Rap and Hip-Hop are apart of our culture but it doesnt define us. Blackness is so many things... To be Black is a state of mind. Some non-Blacks THINK they are Black and therefore claim it. A white or Latino person can be Black in their mind. To be Black is a lifestyle. There are stereotypes that ring true to us, and one can be Black and choose to perpetuate those stereotypes or not--but that person is still Black. To be Black is genetic. Hate it or love it, you cant change your heritage. By authentically Black, do you mean no mixture? If so, then there are Africans who are authentically Black...but then again, they dont classify themselves as Black and thats a whole nother topic in and of itself.

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NeoSoulBrotha from Rosedale, MD · Feb 2007

#2 Reply

theTRUTH wrote:
Black people have expanded their horizons so much so, that there is not one category to lump us all in. Rap and Hip-Hop are apart of our culture but it doesnt define us.

Well said. I was thinking in terms of black culture, not ethnicity / genotype. Black Americans aren't a monolithic group, we have subcultures divided among social status, wealth, geography, religion, and background just like any other group.

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YoungPhenom4TheFuture · Feb 2007

#4 Reply

theTRUTH wrote:
Black people have expanded their horizons so much so, that there is not one category to lump us all in. Rap and Hip-Hop are apart of our culture but it doesnt define us. Blackness is so many things... To be Black is a state of mind. Some non-Blacks THINK they are Black and therefore claim it. A white or Latino person can be Black in their mind. To be Black is a lifestyle. There are stereotypes that ring true to us, and one can be Black and choose to perpetuate those stereotypes or not--but that person is still Black. To be Black is genetic. Hate it or love it, you cant change your heritage. By authentically Black, do you mean no mixture? If so, then there are Africans who are authentically Black...but then again, they dont classify themselves as Black and thats a whole nother topic in and of itself.

damn, damn, damn....you hit it right on the money. But to reiterate upon your statement, being black isn't something that can fit inside a box. It isn't something that makes you a certain way, as if somehow the color of your skin can modify your personality. When one says you don't "act" black enough, they're basically saying you don't fit the sterotypical idealism of a black person, which in it self is ignorent. Bottom line, when you come into this world, your race is determined for you, not the other way around. People can deny their race all they want to, it doesn't mean somehow that their genetic makeup is going to magically rearange itself because you click your heals and wish real hard....get real.