By SheelaR

I don’t know when this phenomena of the New Black started, but it is an insult to the harsh realities faced by blacks in America every day. It is an idealism born in the mine of privileged blacks, whose money has bought them a false sense of colorless inclusion and respect. In America…there is no such thing as colorless. I don’t think it’s a far reach to say that these new black folks can’t and won’t even try to identify with the every day struggle that most blacks face.. Having being raised as a privileged woman of color…I’ve not lived the same struggled as most black folks in this country. I didn’t lose a sense of what it is to be black in America, because I never fully understood it. I grew up a bi-racial woman in predominantly white communities. However, these last few years has been somewhat of a wake-up call for me. I’m finally beginning to understand what it is to be black in a country where you color precedes you…when it should never matter in the first place.

Although I cannot lay claims of victimization to any egregious acts of racism, the covert ones have been just as painful. They often result in some lost opportunities to earn money in an industry dominated by white males. I find myself working twice as hard for scrapes and three times as hard for a seat at the table. I’m finding that my brand of privilege doesn’t always shield me from the cruel realities of racism. Stereotypes still apply. Doors that are open, are sometimes quietly shut. Invisible connections formed are sometimes broken at the site of my blackness.

Songwriter and Record producer, Pharrell Williams has been quoted as saying “The new black doesn’t blame others races for our issues. The new Black dreams and realizes that it not a pigmentation; it’s a mentality. And it’s either going to work for you, or it’s going to work against you. And you’ve got to pick the side you’re gonna be on.”  Huh? If only that were true. Being black is not a mentality…take it from someone who knows this all to well. People like you, Kanye West, Raven-Symone, Don Lemmon, Common, and many other rich and famous black folks…are completely disconnected from the larger group from you hail. You’re living in a self-imposed bubble and you’re pin prick away from the realness of everyday life.

We are not living in post racism America, and anyone that thinks their money buys them this reality…isn’t living in the same cruel world as the rest of us. Pushing the respectable black agenda won’t make those who hate your brown skin like you, respect, or accept you. Stop telling black America how they should adapt to racism. It’s not our problem to fix.