Running head: RACE MATTERS

Race Matters Communicating a Race from a Black My Perspective Jordan Davis University of Colorado Denver

RACE MATTERS Race Matters: Communicating a Race from a Black My Perspective

I wish I was white, were five words that came out of my mouth when I turned 11 years old. This powerful statement shocked my mother because as a proud black woman, she could not understand why in her words, I would say such a terrible thing. Now at 23 today, I still find myself struggling to understand what race I identify with. The construction of race through mass media and our social environment has a direct effect on how we view and communicate race. In the book, Difference Matters, Allen (2011) defines race as, an aspect of identity based on physiological features known as phenotypes, including skin color, hair texture, body type and facial features, ( p. 66). All of these phenotypes have been important in my life since I learned how important race was to me. From how I will style my hair, what I will wear and how I will communicate, Im always thinking about race, but why? Why do I always worry about how I am performing a race when we live in a racially diverse country? Race has been important to me since I have learned that with race, comes power. Throughout U.S. history, whites have always had the power as a superior race. Although we have come a long way from the Civil Right Movement, we still stereotype people based on race. In Allens chapter on race, she talks about her assumptions of three Latino men she had seen on the cover of a newspaper and the fact that she assumed they were on the cover for committing a crime. Her stereotype of Latinos in this case was false when soon found out that they had died in a car crash. Allen then admitted how ashamed she was of making such stereotypical assumptions, (p. 65). Although Allen was wrong for assuming that Latinos on the cover of a newspaper related to them committing a crime, her stereotypes of these men came from somewhere.

RACE MATTERS Mass media such as magazines, movies and TV shows have been feeding many

stereotypes to people. One of the very first movies that I can remember with stereotypes of many different races is, Friday, where black men smoked weed, Hispanics owned bit bulls for fighting and whites were all wealthy. In just one movie, many stereotypes were presented to people of how we communicate our races. After watching a movie such as Friday, I find it hard to tell people that I am black because I dont want to be defined by these stereotypes. Not only are blacks stereotyped by other races, but we are often stereotyped by other blacks, I being one of them. I often times find myself stereotyping black women and men without taking a second look at them. If I see a black woman walk into my job with braided hair and long nails, I automatically assume she is going to be loud and rude. When I see a black male walk into my job, I assume that the N word will be a part of his everyday language. Many of these stereotypes that I make are from ignorance of not knowing many black men or women besides myself and a few others. One of the biggest identifiers of race that lead people to stereotype others is our hair. Older movies such as Cinderella or movies today such as Tangled have always depicted a white princess with long flowing hair. These movies have always communicated to me that hair, that is textured, is less appealing. Movies that do depict a black princess such as, Princess and the Frog show a princess with long hair that is not textured like many black womens natural hair. Messages like these from the media communicate white society finds more attractive. Other communicators from media are black actresses and entertainers such as Beyonc, Tyra Banks and Nicki Minaj who are often splashed on the cover of magazines with beautiful flowing hair. These influences have helped to create the billion dollar business whats known as the black hair business. In the 2009 film Good Hair, directed by comedian Chris Rock, the black hair business

RACE MATTERS is explored through talking to black men and women about what makes for good hair. Many black men themselves say that they would rather date a woman of a different race because

having nice hair is important to them and they want it to be natural, (Rock, 2009). Messages like these sent out to society help create the feeling of being inferior without these features. Since I started college, Ive been wearing extensions in my hair to achieve the looks I see in magazines. Many times people say to me, I didnt even know you were black, and many times I would love to hear this because I felt as though they wouldnt judge me. Media outlets such as the TV station BET (Black Entertainment Television) depict an unrealistic view of how blacks are in America. With the lack of diversity in TV and movie roles, even black writers tend to fall back on the same roles for black men and women. In the article, The Television Portrayal of African Americans and Racial Attitudes, Joni Dubriel (2006) talks about studies of the modern or new racism that exist, assisted by black roles as criminal or in unfavorable positions, where whites do not necessarily believe that blacks are inherently inferior or discrimination should be legal, but they do not view blacks as their direct equal, (p. 20). With depictions of blacks in the media as such, how can I get mad at people for stereotyping blacks? Our social environments also play a key role in assisting how we communicate race. When I turned 11, there were many changes happening in my life. The first would be moving to an all-white neighborhood where I would only be in contact with kids that communicated different than I did. I began to see how I talked, dressed and acted differently based on my move from an all-black neighborhood. When school started after the summer had ended, I came back as a new person. No longer did I fit into the black crowd, now to them, I wasnt black enough. Hanging out with the white population at my school did not make white kids view as white either. I was stuck between knowing that I related to black students through

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being stereotyped and being poor before to relating to white students now that I liked new music, new cloths and lived in a wealthier neighborhood. In 2009, a podcast called Addicted to Race 116 was held about black kids growing up in a white community while the struggles of parents keeping their kids black identity. On the podcast, one parent talked about his children losing a connection to other black children not only from their standpoint, but how other black kids view them. In the podcast, people argued whether or not black kids belong in white neighborhoods and if its important for them to relate to other black kids, (2009). Although I feel as though black children should always have some connection to their identity, they shouldnt have to be held to these connections in how they communicate their race. Through the media and my social environment, I must admit that today Im still confused about how I should communicate my race and if there is a wrong way in doing so. When I look back at the 11 year old me, I realize that me wanting to be white had nothing to do with disliking other black people, but more to do with the representation of my race through media and social environment. Ive realized that maybe its ok to not relate to any race fully because of my own personal experiences. Through the process of writing this paper, I decided to cross out the word black in the title of my paper and put my instead. I cannot represent all black people in communicating our race, but I can represent an 11 year old black girl, who at one point lived in a poor black neighborhood, moved to an all-white neighborhood, and at one point sadly uttered the words, I wish I was white.

RACE MATTERS References

Allen, B. J. (2011). Difference Matters: Communicating Social Identity (2nd ed.). Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland.

Dubriel, J. J. (n.d.). The Television Portrayals of African Americans and Racial Attitudes. Georgia State University Digital Archive. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=communication_theses

Kerckhove, C. V. (Producer) (2009, August 30). Addicted to Race 116 black kids white community, bluest eye, international adoption and culture | Love Isn't Enough - on raising a family in a color struck world. Love Isn't Enough. Podcast retrieved from http://loveisntenough.com/2009/08/30/addicted-to-race-116-black-kids-white-community-bluesteye-international-adoption-and-culture/