No, it’s not scholarly - it’s racist.

My head is reeling from reading an article on the National Review site tweeted by Jeffrey Wright about the importance of proactive policing and the significant positive implications of gentrification. 

“A black New Yorker is 50 times more likely to commit a shooting than a white New Yorker.” Hmm…I’m slacking. https://t.co/Sj8YgxpgJi’

The overarching theme of the article is that gentrification is the reason for the crime drop in New York City and that ‘cop critics’ don’t have any justification for their outcry against police brutality because whatever the cops are doing is directly influencing the decrease in crime rates- this includes stop and frisk and other unsubstantiated practices. The whole article is an insult to anyone with a comprehensive- no with an ounce of understanding of the history of violence perpetrated by police at alarming levels against the black community. Anyone who grasps the history of this country can surmise that the relationship between the black community and police is not a spontaneous manifestation of tension- this article talks about the Black Lives Matter movement in such a cavalier naive way. This sentiment about injustice when it comes to condemning black lives has been incubating for centuries. It’s also known there is a direct correlation between crime and economic hardship. When this country understands that slavery has been and continues to be a blemish on our history and its affect are felt present-day will we ever get passed these putrid allowances of ignorance that everything is so simple (no pun intended) - black and white. 

There were a few passages in this article that really feeds into the rampant racism that the president has encouraged in this country. And that’s another thing. This presidency. It has ripped open wounds and incited crimes of hatred like no other presidency in history. There’s no way that reality can be disregarded at this point. Anyway, I digress. Here are some of the most blatantly racist passages I’ve seen on a national publication:

This demographic transformation has enormous implications for crime. A black New Yorker is 50 times more likely to commit a shooting than a white New Yorker, according to perpetrator identifications provided to the police by witnesses to, and victims of, those shootings.

(This is about the gentrification of Bed-Stuy. Barf.)

——

When the racial balance of a neighborhood changes radically, given those crime disparities, its violent-crime rate will as well. (This racial crime disparity reflects the breakdown of the black family and the high percentage of black males — upwards of 80 percent in some neighborhoods — being raised by single mothers.)

(I mean, I honestly thought she was just going to come out and say the N-word at this point. I’m not even sure what this is supposed to convey to support her argument. It’s just an empty generalization that was thrown in here to infer some nefarious ideas about black families.)

——

It is that gentrification which is now helping fuel the ongoing crime drop. Urban hipsters are flocking to areas that once were the purview of drug dealers and pimps, trailing in their wake legitimate commerce and street life, which further attracts law-abiding activity and residents in a virtuous cycle of increasing public safety. 

(It’s like she’s saying, gentrification is wonderful for crime since it means pushing POC out of neighborhoods so white people can ‘virtuously’ live their lives. I CANNOT.)

This article had my head spinning and I was at a loss at how something so blatantly biased could be published under the guise of journalism and not OPINION because that’s what this sounds like to me. The facts presented are rolled up into a self-righteous, pious assortment of conjecture and perspective. It’s beyond disrespectful/insulting and solidifies what everyone already knows- racism is alive and thriving in America.

Africa, right?

The airport is always a lot. People are rushing or not rushing. Standing still or weaving through crowds. It’s a place where people go to escape or to return. To go off adventure or come back and ruminate.

Many different people are rotating in and out of those doors, so it was strange to have this experience with one of the attendants while I was having a hard time using the self check-in machine.

That machine is a whole different story. It was aggressively unintuitive and the instructions were sparse. I’m not sure how anyone was able to check-in without assistance, but I digress.

Anyway, back to the person who helped me and subsequently surprised me.

My machine was flashing a message that let me know I needed assistance. The first thing he asked me for when he came over was a Visa. So, I rummaged through my wallet to show him the card I used to buy the ticket. He looked at it perplexedly, and then said, no I mean your passport. I chuckled at myself in the moment but that was really strike one. Oh, I said, I thought you meant my credit card. No, he said, slightly amused. He left and I continued the check in process poking at the screen, entering all of my info until I came again to another roadblock. I looked around and he was close by, helping other people with this horrendous check-in machine. We made eye contact. How can I help miss, he asked, focused and ready to assist.
“It’s asking for my email and address but I can’t keep going.”
“Did you put in the country?”
“Yes.”
“Two letters?”
“Yes.”
He finished up with the person he was working with and they went off triumphantly as he walked over and took a look at my screen.
“Country?” He asked again. He pressed some areas of the screen, “Africa, right,” he asked distracted. I didn’t say anything as he continued assessing.
“Ah, forget it. You can hit cancel.”
I nod.
He hits cancel, “I don’t know why it wasn’t working. That’s a new screen.”
“Oh. Well thanks,” I grab my baggage tag and attach it to my bag and he’s already walked off attending to other struggling people.

I’m not sure if it was because he was distracted or stressed out but the situation was uncomfortable now that I think back to it. I mean I appreciate his help because otherwise I probably would have been there for another 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get that thing to work. I’m going to chalk up what he said to an honest misunderstanding but in this world of high tension, it’s hard not to ignore instances like this. Anyway, I’m in France. We’ll see what kind of interesting stories I’ll have to tell from here.

Don’t Get It Twisted.

I’ve been perusing a lot of stuff on race because it’s a subject I really like reading about and hearing different people’s opinions can unearth interesting perspectives. However, I’ve been noticing a trend in comments sections (my all time favorite part of an article) that has made me very uneasy. It has to do with (mostly) black women who date outside of their race. There is this idea that those women are all hateful of their race, don’t respect black men, and are self-loathing or completely lost. I’m here to weigh in on this very frustrating opinion.

This assumption that dating outside of your race automatically deems you as someone who is internalizing racism or racists beliefs is just plain unfair. Regardless of who I’m dating, I know who I am and I don’t appreciate this notion that my voice is less valid because my boyfriend is white. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the ideology behind this inference, but it surely doesn’t mean it applies to every single person of color and it nauseates me to see this view thrown around so loftily like it’s a completely cohesive argument.

Internalized racism is very real and incredibly sad, stemming from systemic racism in a society that is constantly berating you with images and ideas that devalue you, neglect your worth, ignore your existence. I don’t think I would be lying if I said at some point, every person of color living in the US had a moment, however briefly or extensively, where they began to doubt who they were in the context of this messed up culture. 

It took me some time to figure me out and it’s a continuous journey that many people don’t have the privilege to partake in. I’ve realized it’s impossible to please everyone and that sometimes people won’t like me for whatever reason, but instead of worrying about the endless criticism of other people, I had to become steadfast in what I believe and not let anyone tell me who I am. It’s annoying because regardless of how I feel about race in society, there will be someone who will be suspect of my thoughts and use who I’m dating to nitpick my ideas. So, when I read comments, like “then she went back to her white boyfriend,” referring to Lupita Nyong'o after she weighed in about the Oscar’s lack of diversity, it irks me because who she’s dating has no reflection on her opinion on the matter and bringing it up just seems petty. 

Again, I’m not denying the very real truth that in some cases there are black women who are choosing not to date black men because of backwards logic, but I’ll be damned if I let someone else call my opinion about my own race invalid because I’m dating someone outside of it. Blanket statements never helped anyone, so how about we stop doing it.

People are entitled to their own opinion and I’m sure I’ve known people who have this idea that I’m not “black enough,” but I assure all of them, that I most certainly am. No matter what, I am a black woman in this world experiencing life in my brown body regardless of what ANYONE says. Black men don’t have to constantly think about if the white woman they’re dating makes them seem “less black,” so what is it about a black woman dating a white man that throws people into a tailspin? Love is love. I’m not any less or more black because of who I date so I would appreciate reserving a criticism like this for someone like, oh I dunno, Stacey Dash. 

Oh, and while we’re here. YES, THE OSCARS ARE SO WHITE AND IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY AMAZING PERFORMANCES BY PEOPLE OF COLOR. It’s an issue not only because the academy is blatantly ignoring the beautiful work of people of color, but there is a direct correlation between an Oscar nod and a fatter paycheck. It smells a lot like institutional racism to me. Just saying…