A dear friend recently recommended the book "How to Be Black" by Baratunde Thurston. Intrigued by the title and her hilarious description of this comedian-turned-author's book, I picked it up and quickly devoured it. The text itself is something of a tongue-in-check self-help book about, yeah, you guessed it, how to be black. With chapters such as "How to Be the Black Friend", "How to Speak For All Black People" and "How Black Are You?" it offers advice for how to be black. In reality it offers an important perspective about racism in the USA as it stands today in somewhat of a memoir form. Did I mention it's also hilarious? He even includes a specific hashtag to use while referring to the book online: #howtobeblack.
I was struck by how creatively Thurston invites the reader to consider some really difficult and heavy inequalities in our world while also making the reader laugh out loud at his quips and anecdotes. You find yourself laughing because of how hilarious he and "The Black Panel" he consults throughout the book truly are, all in the midst of discussing the systemic and deep-seated racism Americans so thoroughly want to believe does not exist anymore (See the chapter titled "How's That Post-Racial Thing Working Out for Ya?").
I highly encourage you to read the book for its hilarity but also its deep, and uncomfortable truths about racism in the USA. Thurston points out that it's important to talk about racism and how it still exists today and what we can do about. Toward the end of the book, Thurston and the panel begin talking about the future and how to battle racism. I was also particularly struck by one of the ideas a member of the Black Panel brings up when asked for ideas about the Future of Blackness.
W. Kamau Bell is another comedian and creator of a one-man show who brings up this interesting idea: "I've recently come to the conclusion: I think that all people who are fighting for oppressed people should only be allowed to work for the group that's one over from them. Black people should only be allowed to work for the Mexican immigrants' struggle in America. Mexican immigrants should only be allowed to work for gay people. I feel like if we all just stepped one group over, I think we would get things done a lot quicker. You can't end racism and make sexism worse. You can't end racism and make homophobia worse. You have to put it all forward... So a big part of my how-to-be-black is actually trying to be inclusive of all the struggles. Slow Clap." (217).
Yeah, he actually says "Slow Clap" at the end. See? I told you it was hilarious. In any case, this idea is important because it implicitly points out the the fact that people who are marginalized are systemically marginalized. What I mean is, the system in which one group is comfortable, is the very same system that marginalizes the other groups. Racism, sexism, age-ism, all the negative ism's are enforced through the very same system. Those in power have a strong incentive to keep all others out of power using the very same system.
Thereby it doesn't make sense to work toward ending your personally offensive -ism and in the process make any of the others worse. It doesn't make sense to work toward equality for women but to worsen the inequality against the LGBTQ community, or the African American community, or those who are experiencing homelessness, etc.
Fundamentally this comes to the point that we really do all have to work together, on behalf of one another. I wouldn't necessarily go so far as to say that we should all work on the struggle "one group over" because I think one should work where one's passion lies. But I think it's really important to remember to not work against that struggle "one group over" either. Wherever possible, it makes sense to work in collaboration.
I certainly recommend reading Thurston's book- both for its hilarity and for the gentle reminder that racism is very much alive and that we need to remember to work toward equality for everyone. Really, where better to start the equality and inclusion process than in the struggle for equality and inclusion itself? Slow Clap.
