Post-Racial?

Dear Don Lemon, I'm respectable as hell, now what?



It's one thing when folks outside the race make sweeping and narrow-minded generalizations about what "black people" should do to fix "our" issues. It's another when one of our own do it.

If nothing else, Don Lemon should know that not all black people face these five issues. And that even the repair of the simplistic issues he spouted won't repair deeply embedded racial disparity in this country. Mr. Lemon seems to think that if we all just assimilate and be respectable members of society no one will profile us, feel threatened by us, stereotype us, belittle us, talk down to us, deny us basic rights based on the color our skin.

Well sir, not to brag, you don't get much more respectable than my family. My father was a doctor, my mother an MBA'd accountant. My sister is a Global Director at a Fortune 1000 company. My older brother is a surgeon. I'm an HR consultant and published author of five books. My younger brother is a Director of Software Architecture. We're all degreed, some of us double. We live in nice neighborhoods, we drive nice cars, we speak "so well" and we're freaking nice to be around if I may say so myself. Our pants have never sagged and we have an abnormal fixation on clothing that might best be described as "preppy chic."

What I'm saying here Don... is that we are probably the closest real life approximation to Huxtablism (yes I made it up) as you will find anywhere. We don't (or shouldn't) scare people. 

And yet, my older brother gets mistaken for a waiter just because folks assume that's the only reason a person of his color should be in a certain restaurant. My sister and I get goggled at when we show up at four or five star resorts without aprons or vacuum cleaners. My younger brother, who drives a cream colored PT cruiser (the least gangster vehicle in the world), gets pulled over for Driving While Black on the regular. Just yesterday I was followed around a store in Far North Dallas for close to half an hour before I turned with a brittle smile and asked the woman to locate the jeans in a size 10 and meet me at the register. Once there I declared in a loud voice how awesome it was to get such personalized service that out of all the patrons in the store, Kaylie chose to follow me and give me undivided attention the entire time. She turned red, the manager started in our direction, I paid for my jeans and rolled out. (Don't judge me, those were $125 jeans marked down to $17.99) Back to my point...

Tell me Don, what did my respectability earn me? What should I have done differently to not be treated like a suspect? Get educated? Check. Wear nice clothes? Check. Behave sociably? Check. What else could I do? Walk in with my hands over my head and declare, "I'm not here to steal anything, I promise. I have my passport, birth certificate, credit report, bank statement and college degree in my designer handbag. Feel free to frisk me!" O__o

One thing I can't stand is when people make generic "black people should" statements. It diminishes the conversation, clouds the actual issues and is so assumptive that it comes across condescending, belittling and naive. I took a Logical Theory class in college. The first thing they teach you is not to make generalizations that will ultimately prove false. The second thing they teach you is to not submit solutions to a problem that don't really address the baseline issue. If this entire debate sprang up out of the George Zimmerman trial than I'm wondering (as many of us have) what could Trayvon have done differently on that fateful night to save his life? The only answer is for him not to have crossed paths with George Zimmerman. Something that was beyond his control. The Zimmermans of this world only see black. They don't see any of the five things Mr. Lemon seems to find so intrinsic to outer respectability.

The deeper issue here is how to stop people from thinking like a Zimmerman. How do we abolish the instinct of some people to look upon people of color as a threat? Offering simplistic solutions and lectures on how we as a people should "do better" solves nothing and actual steers the discourse away from the integral point. I would think that of all people, Don Lemon would know this. Maybe he does know and doesn't care. Maybe he's just in it for the ratings boost. Either way, it was disappointing (but not surprising) to see someone of color with a national spotlight offering little else but empty sound bites.

As someone on Twitter said yesterday: We of the pretty and siddity set can't even ride with Don Lemon on this one. We're bougie. Not sellouts. Can I get an amen? Thoughts, comments, insights? Do share.

This week in #PostRacismFAIL: Zimmerman, Deen, SCOTUS



If you are anywhere near a media outlet today you are being treated to a full smorgasbord of race relations in America. As I (and many others) have been saying since Barack Obama's first election in 2008 - these here United States are not so post-racial. Not even close.

People need to let the idea that people no longer think in "black and white" go. As long as a white man can put a gun a to a young black boy's chest and pull the trigger - there's no post-racism. Oh, and in the Zimmerman trial? This happened:
"Knock knock. Who's there? George Zimmerman. George Zimmerman who? Good, you're on the jury," Attorney West for the defendent said.
Yes, the defense opened with a joke. We are not amused. With the slain boy's parents right there. Jokes? Keep it classy, teamZim, keep it classy. 

As long as a Southern cook can dream of a "slavery-themed" wedding with wistful delight and think that's okay  (and a legion of fans defend that ish) - there's no post-racism. Over the weekend, numerous Facebook pages supporting Deen and calling for a boycott of the Food Network popped up, with several garnering thousands of likes. “Show me an adult person who has not said the N word in his life, black or white. You without sin cast the first stone,’’ one commenter wrote. 

The line at Deen’s restaurant in Savannah, Ga., The Lady and Sons, was out the door all weekend as local residents showed their support. Notice anything about this picture?


As long as the Supreme Court can dodge the Affirmative Action issue and basically say "we're not here for that" - there's no post-racism. By a 7-1 vote, with one justice recusing herself, the court sent a case about the University of Texas admissions policy back to a federal appeals court for review — the Supreme Court’s equivalent of a grade of Incomplete.

The case was brought by Abigail Fisher, a white woman who applied to the university in 2008 and was denied, and claimed that her constitutional rights and federal civil rights laws were violated. The Supreme Court ruled that the appeals court had failed to hold the university to a “demanding burden of strict scrutiny.” Instead, the appeals court “presumed that the school had acted in good faith” and required Fisher to show otherwise, the high court found. So... basically witht he exception of Justice Ginsberg (LOVE HER!) - SCOTUS can't be bothered.

Also, the OWN channel aired a documentary on colorism within the black community called Dark Girls on Sunday night. A firestorm erupted on the Twittersphere. Before I could even think to type an opinion I was told in no uncertain terms that "light girls need not comment, this was not their night" - oh. Alright then. Damn these Euros foisting their ideologies upon us generation after generation after generation.

It's going to be a long week. Thoughts on this week's news melee? Weary already? Do share...

Crime has no color (nor does idiocy)


Let's first present this shiggty (guised as lessons he tells his children) from John Derbyshire of the National Review without preface:
(10a) Avoid concentrations of blacks not all known to you personally.

(10b) Stay out of heavily black neighborhoods.

(10c) If planning a trip to a beach or amusement park at some date, find out whether it is likely to be swamped with blacks on that date (neglect of that one got me the closest I have ever gotten to death by gunshot).

(10d) Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of blacks.

(10e) If you are at some public event at which the number of blacks suddenly swells, leave as quickly as possible.

(10f) Do not settle in a district or municipality run by black politicians.

(10g) Before voting for a black politician, scrutinize his/her character much more carefully than you would a white.

(10h) Do not act the Good Samaritan to blacks in apparent distress, e.g., on the highway.

(10i) If accosted by a strange black in the street, smile and say something polite but keep moving.

(11) The mean intelligence of blacks is much lower than for whites. The least intelligent ten percent of whites have IQs below 81; forty percent of blacks have IQs that low. Only one black in six is more intelligent than the average white; five whites out of six are more intelligent than the average black. These differences show in every test of general cognitive ability that anyone, of any race or nationality, has yet been able to devise. They are reflected in countless everyday situations. “Life is an IQ test.”
I have questions -
1. They still MAKE people like this?
2. What kind of event is he talking about where black folks just flood in all of sudden? 
3. I notice he didn't reference his source for those IQ stats? The KKK newsletter perhaps? Aryan Nation Weekly? 
4. So the fact that the burglar I caught in my house (in a predominantly non-black neighborhood) was white means... what?
5. The fact that the one time someone tried to snatch my purse, it was a white person in a sea of white people means... what?
6. The only time I feared being gunned down, the gun was being held by someone not of African descent means... what?
7. By the way, if these were rules 10-11, I'm scared to know what 1-9 might have been.

Let's piggyback the aforementioned idocy with the email I received from a Guy calling himself White Night:
We don't know each other, let's you and me tell the truth. All of your relationship issues stem from the fact that you need a strong white man who isn't intimidated by your afrrican power to tame you. You only love Obama because he's half white. And if Trayvon Martin was a white kid you wouldn't care. Why don't you try being black, bougie and believable?
Are you still blinking with disbelief at your screen as I did for several minutes after reading this? This guy gave me "permission" to publish his email address but I say why? To give him the attention he so obviously seeks? No. Thank. You. I want to respond but I'm too busy cackling to say anything besides - huh? What ya'll know about my African Power? Does that come bottled or in a cream based formula? Here are my answers:

1. I've never had a white guy offer to whip it out and tame me. I'll take #IgnantforAnyRace for $1000, Alex. I'm confused, is dude trying to chastise me or date me? 
2. Obama shade is so passe unless you're running for national office. In which case, carry on.
3. If Trayvon Martin was white, he'd still be alive today.
4. I can't fit black 'n bougie 'n believable on the banner. 

BougieLand, do discuss. Thoughts, comments, insights? Gotta response for White Night?

#PostRacismFAIL: "You don't sound black"


I work for a global human resources and recruiting company. Mid-size and large companies outsource their talent acquisition so that in essence, we are their virtual recruiting department. (Hence all the yoga pants references) The account I'm currently assigned to is a mid-size software company in the process of growing to the next level. It means they are profitable and generally have bought into the recruiting model we've sold them. It also means that they have some small company tendencies still lurking about.

The other day I was on a conference call with an executive from Scotland and a Human Resources rep from New Jersey. We were discussing an opening for the Chicago office. After drilling through the requirements/must haves/like to haves, the HR rep indicated that it would be great for diversity targets if we could hire a minority female into the role.

The exec asked, "Michele, do we know any minorities in HR or recruiting who can assist with this?"

I pressed the mute button so my snort of laughter would not be audible and then I un-muted and answered, "Besides me, you mean?"

**awkward silence**

The HR rep piped up, "Michele, are you some kind of black?" (Yes, the HR rep asked this)

I rolled my eyes, "I'm all kinds of black."

The Scotsman said, "But Michele isn't a black name, is it?"

A black name?! Deep sigh. "Well it's my name and I'm black so..."

HR rep, "You don't really sound black to me."

Now I'm fed up, "What exactly does black sound like?"

**awkward silence**

The Scotsman tried to save the day, "My apologies. I do so hope you're not offended."

"Why would I be offended about being black? I've been this way all my life." Yep, at that point I was enjoying their discomfort.

Scotsman, "Perhaps we should move on."

Me, "Certainly."

It was obvious that they were stunned to find out I was black. So I got to thinking - maybe I should drop some more colorful colloquialisms into my every day lexicon? A few "whaddup, whaddups" or perhaps I could enter the conference call with a rap "Yes, yes ya'll. I must confess ya'll. My name's Michele, I'm here to tell I'm blackity-black ya'll" - whatcha think?

No? Mayhaps I should play entry music upon my arrival to the call. I was thinking the processional music from Coming to America?

Or maybe the first few 30 seconds of the Circle of Life from The Lion King?


Gotta keep it classy while still blacking it up. :-/

BougieLand, do we even want to get into how many instances of post-racism FAIL they stumbld into here? Need we discuss just WTH a "black name" is? Don't get me started on the "sounding black" of it all? Have you ever been "racially misidentified" on the phone? How did you handle it? Thoughts, comments, insights?

Is George Zimmerman in jail yet? We demand #JusticeforTrayvon


This post is part of a blog-in organized by ForHarriet.com in an effort to shine awareness and motivate action surrounding the case of Trayvon Martin.. 

It's been 20 days since Trayvon Martin was gunned down less than 100 yards from his family's home in Sanford, Florida by neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman. My commentary on the case is here. My question is - what's is it going to take for the State of Florida to do the right thing here? 

It took over a week and a half for the major media outlets to get on board with this tragic story. And now we want more. Please sign the petition and keep the hashtag #JusticeforTrayvon trending. Thank you!