Black Like Beyoncé and Jesse Williams
Would you say that Beyoncé appeared to be Black during her performance at the 2016 BET Music Awards?
Some might say she was an angry, determined, self-determining fierce and beautiful Black woman, and Jesse Williams was a Black man. ((chills))
Watch them if you don't believe me
I remember, when I was in primary school, Michael Jackson and Prince would blow minds during award shows in the 80's. I would have my chest puffed out the next day, smiling little Black girl living in the projects, but the White kids would be quick to tell me that Michael and Prince were not really Black, "They were more White than Black" or, my personal favorite, "They aren't Black-Black". The worse was "They aren't Black like you"
kids. THEY CAN BE THE WORST BECAUSE THEY DO THE BEST IMPRESSIONS OF THEIR PARENTS AND THEIR COMMUNITY. I didn't understand that truth as a little "Yelly Dan".
I listened to their foolishness and searched carefully for signs of "Black like me" and, though there were many Black folks, I missed if there were any that were poor with fuzzy and tightly coiled sandy brown hair and brown skin who liked Duran Duran. Ronnie DeVoe from New Edition was as close as I got. SEE
That was a silly search but I know I am not the first or last to go looking for a famous Black doppelganger and come up short. Not because of our unique looks but because of how little the media showcases us, the real human multi-dimensional us with all of our magic too.
As an adult, Black is a political and cultural identity for me more than a skin tone. I've seen Black manifest with every possible phenotype yet I still unconsciously look for my famous kindred Black folks but this time I scan for indicators of "woke AF", a sure sign of my tribe, the way I am Black.
Jesse Williams and Beyoncé are setting off my kindred alert and not because we favor (I look like my mom).
Now, some kid may try to tell my 3rd grader that Beyoncé "isn't really Black because she's Creole" or Jesse Williams is "mixed too". As far as I am concerned, let them claim us; nothing will change what happened last night:
Some might say she was an angry, determined, self-determining fierce and beautiful Black woman, and Jesse Williams was a Black man. ((chills))
Watch them if you don't believe me
I remember, when I was in primary school, Michael Jackson and Prince would blow minds during award shows in the 80's. I would have my chest puffed out the next day, smiling little Black girl living in the projects, but the White kids would be quick to tell me that Michael and Prince were not really Black, "They were more White than Black" or, my personal favorite, "They aren't Black-Black". The worse was "They aren't Black like you"
kids. THEY CAN BE THE WORST BECAUSE THEY DO THE BEST IMPRESSIONS OF THEIR PARENTS AND THEIR COMMUNITY. I didn't understand that truth as a little "Yelly Dan".
I listened to their foolishness and searched carefully for signs of "Black like me" and, though there were many Black folks, I missed if there were any that were poor with fuzzy and tightly coiled sandy brown hair and brown skin who liked Duran Duran. Ronnie DeVoe from New Edition was as close as I got. SEE
That was a silly search but I know I am not the first or last to go looking for a famous Black doppelganger and come up short. Not because of our unique looks but because of how little the media showcases us, the real human multi-dimensional us with all of our magic too.
As an adult, Black is a political and cultural identity for me more than a skin tone. I've seen Black manifest with every possible phenotype yet I still unconsciously look for my famous kindred Black folks but this time I scan for indicators of "woke AF", a sure sign of my tribe, the way I am Black.
Jesse Williams and Beyoncé are setting off my kindred alert and not because we favor (I look like my mom).
Now, some kid may try to tell my 3rd grader that Beyoncé "isn't really Black because she's Creole" or Jesse Williams is "mixed too". As far as I am concerned, let them claim us; nothing will change what happened last night:
- She sung Black Liberation music and depicts Africana Womanism in her choreography,
- He is "woke AF"
- They are Black like Ruby Dee, like Muhammad Ali, Eartha Kitt, Ossie Davis, Nina Simone, Harry Belafonte, Paul Robeson...and like me.
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