Independent blog post- A rant about race- What I notice

What I noticed- A rant about race- by Lauren Frost

Often times the words black and ghetto are synonymous as if being black is to be ghetto. First of all ghetto isn't even a proper word to describe people. A ghetto is a place, so a person cannot be a ghetto. Black people are often seen as thugs or threatening and that type of stereotyping has led to the death of many “suspicious looking” black teens, (See- Self defense or just killing*). Since middle school I have been told that I'm not "black" enough by a lot of people. Yes, I'm not 100% black but that is what I identify myself as. To be told I'm not black "enough" over and over again is like being constantly stung by a bee, it hurts but it is also annoying. Why am I not black enough? I often ask. Because you just aren't they'll answer or you aren't ghetto or you are too nice. My own sister has told me that I'm less black than her because I have been in CAP and the Humanities at Eastern.


          I have been in some form of a gifted and talented program since I was about ten years old. In fourth through fifth grade I was one of three and a half black kids in my class. In middle school one of seven or eight and here in CAP one of eight. This has never really been a problem for me, yes I noticed, but I never really saw it as an issue. Most of my friends from school are white a lot of my friends from home are black. It's never really been a problem for me or something to point out but often my black friends will comment on it they'll say things like "oh like all your friends are white" or "you are so white". It's interesting to think that we live in a community where everyone likes to think oh I can be friends with anyone I want but people think it's odd to see me hanging out with people who are not the same race as me.


          My brother swims and I play tennis, generally these are known as white sports swimming more than tennis. There is a stereotype that black people can't swim and that they hate water. I'll go to my brothers meet and often times I wonder what other people think of him when he kicks everyone's butt. I wonder how much they take in his race and how much they take in his swimming abilities.

The image of black people isn't often good. It is obviously a stereo type that black people aren't well spoken or not smart or steal and are criminals. The general stereotype of a black person is just plain bad. In journalism we read an article at the beginning of the year about how everyone is just a little bit racist. I absolutely agree. I can attest that I sometimes have bad thoughts about people who are the same color as me. The thing about racism is that it is often not blatant it's through statements like you arer not black enough that show what people think about my race.

Being one of the few black people makes me want to work harder and makes me feel as if I need to prove something not to other people but to myself about why I am in this program
     I want to know what makes me not black enough! Is it because I'm in cap, because I can't dance? Because I don't use slang? Because all of those are stereotypes. I'm an individual person. I'm different than everyone in the world. I can't be contained into a single stereotype or several stereotypes. I'm just me. I'm black. And I'm proud of it too.