One Thanksgiving Eve, I stopped at a neighborhood store to buy dessert for a party. A black woman in the back of the store offered gourmet ice cream samples. After passing twice, I relented, as did a white woman. She was a middle school teacher from Harlem coming off of a pretty rough workday. We exchanged small talk.
When the teacher began to complain about her tough day with the schoolchildren in Harlem, the sample lady snorted, and scoffed, “Well, when your mother is on drugs and your father isn’t around and…” I interrupted before she could finish the sentence to ask why she would make such a broad, ugly statement. She muttered some inanity about black folks and drugs and gangs, so I cut her off again. I know that was rude, but I couldn’t stop myself.
It seemed unfair that she would to paint the Harlem community with such a broad brushstroke. I explained that they live tough lives; that there are decent, hard working people in Harlem who care for their families; that many of them do the best they can in the face of hardship. She spewed more inanities. She said her parents had it rough but didn’t do drugs or resort to violence….blah, blah, blah. Upset, I cut her off again.
I felt shame as this black woman regurgitated generic untruths about an economically depressed, mostly black, community that had weathered its share of adversity. I wanted to tell her that I know honest, hard working people in Harlem to whom that ugly myth did not apply. I wanted to, but I couldn’t—because I don’t know any. However, I am intimately familiar with other communities suffering the same fate. Oakland, for one, is considered by many to be the scourge of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Oakland is my adopted hometown. I embraced it as such once I was certain I would not return to live in my native country of Jamaica. The picture of Oakland the media presents is not accurate. The Oakland I know and love is a beautiful city with rolling hills, small-town charm, diverse communities, and near-perfect weather. It is a mixed bag of yuppie-like neighborhoods teeming with well-meaning liberals, working class communities where neighbors look out for one another, and economically depressed areas like “West O” and the “Eight-Deuce Block”, as it is lovingly memorialized by some hip-hop MCs.
I know several hip-hop artists who proudly hail from Oakland. There’s not a drug addict, gangbanger, gun dealer, thief, pedophile, or murderer in the bunch. You can believe that, but not if you listen to talk show pundits’ sound bites, or read only headlines. They suggest that Oakland is a rotting shit-hole filled to overflowing with the scum of the earth who make it difficult for decent people to live decent lives. That is not the Oakland I know and love. Oakland is a mixed bag; I admit that. But Oakland is also the place where I experienced a sense of community; a place where I didn’t feel depreciated, diminished, or marginalized; a place where I felt welcome; a place that allowed me to be exactly who I am. I love that. I need that.
Now I live in New York City. In many ways, New York City feels like Oakland in that the same polarization exists with regard to black communities. I love Harlem. But for many people, Harlem is synonymous with blight. Many see the blight, not the people. This instinctive reaction to the mention of Harlem, except for the gentrified parts, is very common. Not to worry—any hint of Harlem and its unique flavor will soon disappear. Columbia University will see to that.
I don’t visit Harlem nearly enough. When my friend and her sister visited a few years ago, at their request we spent an entire day there. We walked around, enjoyed a delicious meal at Amy Ruth’s (where we glimpsed Al Sharpton), shopped, and marveled at this bustling community throbbing with activity. Could be there were drug addicts and gangbangers around, but we didn't notice any.
So, here’s my question. Why do some black people consistently regurgitate those ugly myths? Do they think it’s required to augment their credibility with whites? Do they think it enhances their status? Do they say those things because they think that's what some people want to hear? And if so, what do they really gain? At the end of the day, they will still be considered “other”.
I, for one, will not wear a sneer of disgust for my people simply to fit in. I detest groupthink. It just doesn’t pay off.
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