Black excellence exists without proximity to whiteness. This is a truth many Americans have difficulty grasping. Because of the way our society is set up, there tends to be a false cause and effect relationship applied to Black excellence and white presence. There is Black excellence in corners of small towns and big cities where white people rarely tread.
When Black people want to amplify the awareness of our excellence, we must decide whether or not it’s worth the hassle to seek white acknowledgment. The fact is white people have the numbers and the influence in the USA to expedite the awareness amplification process. When Black people choose that more expeditious route, it can lead people of all racial backgrounds to mistake proximity to whiteness as a necessary component of excellence.
As anyone with a research background can attest, correlation does not equal causation. In the case of Black excellence and white proximity, correlation can cause consternation and confusion.
The Consternation for Black People
When we seek to engage the white community, Black people have to figure out how to maintain our authentic identity. It’s a balance of setting ourselves up to be treated with the value we know we hold and still to navigate white spaces as our full selves. We want to acclimate without feeling compelled to assimilate fully into a culture that may be at odds with our thriving spirit.
The Confusion for White people
Unfortunately, as evidenced by some public statements during last summer’s racial uprising and this Black History Month, our societal set up defaults to centering white people no matter the topic. That automatic self-focus makes many white people erroneously believe that excellent Black people want more association with whiteness rather than more opportunity. There is an unstated assumption that any excellence we have will be even better when we are less Black.
Instead of validating Black people in whatever authentic manner we show up, the most benevolent and welcoming thing many white people can conceive to do is guide our assimilation into white culture. We are not encouraged, or often even allowed, to be a version of ourselves that honors all parts of our own cultural heritage.
The thing is pretty much every Black person I know likes being Black. We simply dislike the way society treats us because we are Black. What we desire is a world where the expression of our Blackness is not considered contradictory to excellence. That would allow us to thrive in our own communities and when we choose venture into other ones.
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Dr Jattu Senesie is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, certified success coach, physician satisfaction specialist and speaker. She blogs about issues of self care and well-being in an effort to help her fellow altruistic high achievers find satisfaction in their success as early in their careers as possible.
