Yes, It is OK

I struggled with writing this as I did not know how I would tackle the subject. My hope is that it will open a much-needed discussion. In February there were signs posted by the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) in a Mooresville, NC neighborhood stating “It’s OK to be White.” Initially, I was upset and thinking, “who in the world said that it wasn’t OK to be white?” I had to pause and get my feelings in check and think about this intellectually and not with a knee-jerk reaction.

I started with reading the comments from people on the article reporting the signs. A majority of people were outraged and denounced the intended strife behind the message. However, there were a number of people who agreed with the message at face value (I am assuming face value as they did not post anything hateful). Comments discussing the current climate and how they felt that being white was not OK. There were comments asking why it was OK to say “Black and Proud” but not OK to say “White and Proud.” I had to stop and think about why it is frowned at for Caucasians to say “White and Proud.” I really had to think about it and then I looked at the intended messages of the KKK, Neo Nazis and other hate groups. Their platform is founded in being white. They do not focus on their heritage, they focus on skin color. Unfortunately, as this is the foundation of these groups, saying “White and Proud” is not taken lightly. It can be seen as a statement of hate.

But we have to go back to the “Black and Proud” statement. The statement became very popular with the James Brown hit, “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” This song came out during a time where Blacks (African-Americans) were seen as less then and that having brown (dark brown or black) skin was a problem. The images depicting Blacks made it seem like there was an inferiority do to skin color alone. The song was released in 1968, towards the end of the Civil Rights Movement and yet in 2018 (50 years later) it is still a strong message because those who have a darker complexion are still seen as less then.

Unfortunately, for a number of African Americans identifying their country of heritage is not possible due to slavery. Think about it for a moment, Native Americans know their tribe; Caucasian Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, and Asian Americans, for the most part, know their country of heritage. Indian Americans know that their roots are in India and most likely know their ethnic group. A large portion of African Americans do not know, all that is known is that they are a descendant from slaves from Africa.

So, the question about “White and Proud” becomes are you celebrating your skin color or heritage? If you know your country of heritage why not say “Irish and Proud,” “German and Proud,” “English and Proud.” Yes, it is OK to be white; however, if your entire identity is wrapped in your skin color that is a bigger issue. I would like to be idealistic and hope for a time where skin color would not matter; however, I need to be realistic in that I know it will probably always matter. What bothers me the most is the taking pride in a skin color as if we had a DNA salad bar selection where we got to choose. When “Black and Proud” is said it is in defiance to a narrative that there is something wrong with having dark skin/African roots. The vast majority of African Americans would love to say “Nigerian and Proud,” “Senegalese and Proud,” “Gambian and Proud.” (Yes, with science there are DNA tests that can narrow down the region and I think in some cases may even give you a specific country. Not many are willing to do that as you are signing over your DNA to be used however the company deems fit.)

Guess what? It is OK to be proud of who you are…a daughter, a son, a wife, a husband, a Veteran, etc. What is not OK is to be proud of something so that you can look down on others. If you take stock of who you are and the first thing you are proud of is your skin color, it is time to reevaluate your priorities.

**Now, do not get me wrong, being a person with African heritage is not just an issue here in the United States. There are other countries such as many Spanish speaking countries and India who look down on those with a dark complexion. I am speaking about the United States as this is where I live but there are very interesting documentaries on how African heritage is seen around the world. I would highly suggest taking a moment and watching a few on Netflix.**