{"id":13374,"date":"2018-02-23T20:41:35","date_gmt":"2018-02-24T01:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mdcthereporter.com\/?p=13374"},"modified":"2020-09-15T11:33:32","modified_gmt":"2020-09-15T15:33:32","slug":"isnt-one-way-black","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/isnt-one-way-black\/","title":{"rendered":"There Isn\u2019t One Way To Be Black"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Black
AMINAH BROWN \/ THE REPORTER<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was sitting in my English class talking about a fight that broke out during lunch when a classmate told me, \u201cYou talk like such a white girl. I\u2019m so glad you don\u2019t act like a regular black person.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

As a child, I didn\u2019t understand the meaning behind this phrase, even though it was something I heard often. <\/span><\/p>\n

I was in awe that someone could say these words to me. I wondered how they could even remotely think that was an appropriate statement. I knew I\u2019d have to be an Angry Black Woman<\/span><\/a> for the rest of my life because this wasn\u2019t something I was going to put up with. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a specific checklist directed toward African Americans, featuring bullet points on how we\u2019re supposed to act and look. I soon noticed I can\u2019t scratch off most of the requirements. When others noticed I didn\u2019t hit the black person tally, they\u2019d make remarks like, \u201cYou\u2019re not like the others\u201d or \u201cYou act so proper.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard these comments all my life and it never ceases to amaze me how many people say this to me whether they\u2019re white, black or Hispanic. <\/span><\/p>\n

These comments have caused a lot of self-doubt in my identity\u2014 they\u2019ve caused me to question if I was being true to who I was. I started to wonder if I was acting black and if there was something I should try to change about myself. <\/span><\/p>\n

I was constantly questioning my identity as a black woman because no one seemed to believe that\u2019s who I wanted to be. Black people always said that I was trying to be white and non-black people always claimed I didn\u2019t fit in with black people. I was confused on where I belonged. I knew I was black but no one else agreed. My teen-life crisis was in full force as I dwelled on how my skin color and articulation were connected.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though it was difficult, I rose above the hurtful comments. I\u2019ve built an unshakeable self-belief in who I am and soon realized that it was not me who needed to change, it was the people that placed this stereotype on all African Americans. <\/span><\/p>\n

The check list is derived from stereotypes that define black people as loud, ghetto or ratchet. Last time I checked, the color of my skin does not correlate with how I talk, with what I listen to or how I approach my everyday life. Saying I talk like a white girl isn\u2019t a compliment. It\u2019s an insult; it implies that you believe black people don\u2019t use proper grammar. <\/span><\/p>\n

For example, I\u2019ve noticed that if you\u2019re black, people think you can only listen to hip hop or rap. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a South Carolina native, I enjoy an array of country songs, rap and pop. Nonetheless, it’s frustrating when people tell me my \u2018black card\u2019 will be revoked when I listen to Florida Georgia Line.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s beyond ridiculous that society believes that to be black you must conform to a small list of stereotypes. I\u2019ve never been one to conform and I don\u2019t plan on starting anytime soon. <\/span><\/p>\n

Being black is being proud of my melanin-rich skin, knowing my history and fighting for equality. Being black means whatever I want it to be, because I will still be black no matter how I talk or what I listen to.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was sitting in my English class talking about a fight that broke out during lunch when a classmate told me, \u201cYou talk like such a white girl. I\u2019m so glad you don\u2019t act like a regular black person.\u201d As a child, I didn\u2019t understand the meaning behind this phrase, even though it was something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":13378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[1944,2115,2116],"class_list":{"0":"post-13374","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-forum","8":"tag-identity","9":"tag-black","10":"tag-stereotypes"},"yoast_head":"\nThere Isn\u2019t One Way To Be Black<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aiyana Ishmael has been plagued by comments that have made her question her identity, but she soon realized that society has been brainwashed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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