Dear Respectability Police: You Won't End Racism

In a powerful piece at Ebony, Jamilah Lemieux issues a stern rebuke to those who think that black people can police themselves into becoming respected or validated by white people. She asks, "Howย areย white folksย gonnaย confront their biases when at every turn there's a black person willing to hop up and tell them that we are really…

In a powerful piece at Ebony, Jamilah Lemieux issues a stern rebuke to those who think that black people can police themselves into becoming respected or validated by white people. She asks, "Howย areย white folksย gonnaย confront their biases when at every turn there's a black person willing to hop up and tell them that we are really the worst and we don't deserve equality anyway?"

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Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

โ€œWho taught you to hate yourself?โ€

Malcolm Xโ€™s famous queryย has been on my mind lately.ย It was there when President and First Lady Obama took brand newย HBCUย alumni and their families to task on Morehouse and Bowie Stateโ€™s graduation days. It was there whenย Don Lemon posed Boyย Scout-esqueย stepsย that we โ€” we โ€” could take to end racism. I thought of those words when our belovedย POTUSย came for us again inย his comments during the celebration of the anniversary on the March on Washington.ย And whenย Sheryl Underwood sat beneath a shiny wigย and before a largely White audience and mocked nappy Black hair. And again yesterday, as the image of aย crying Black girlย circulated the net after her Black-led school punished her for having Black girl hair.

I donโ€™t think that any of these people would tell you that they hate Black people or themselves or things that are associated with blackness. But the uncomfortable thread running all through these narratives is the suggestion that we have to beย goodย to beย good enough.ย To be respected, to be human, to be validated in the eyes of White folk.

Because, you know, this is whatย really matters.ย In fact, I often feel like some of us are walking around wearing invisible W.W.W.F.D. bracelets around their wrists in hopes of somehow policing themselves into validity.

What would White folks do? And what can we do to get them to tell us weโ€™re okay? Who do we have to be to gain their respect? If we play nice, will you finally treat us that way?

Read Jamilah Lemieux's entire piece at Ebony.

The Rootย aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.ย 

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