But do #WhiteGirlsRock? Why, absolutely indeed, good sir!
Back to being a black man... I was raised in the ultra-white city (population of 25,000 but still calling it a city) of North Platte, Nebraska. Needless to say, I've met my fair share of white girls and have adored a many. Here's to you, Amy, Brittanie, Randi, Abbey, Erica, Meghan, Heather, etc (these are all real women, from North Platte even; I'm not using random "white" names).
I also have my little crushes on many a white woman seen in pop culture, like Olivia Munn (pictured left, who is actually of Chinese, Irish, and German descent), ScarJo (she's so bad I can say "ScarJo" and y'all know who I'm talking about), Zooey Deschanel (black hair version), and on and on. Oh the grand number of examples to prove #WhiteGirlsRock! Outside of popular culture and into business, politics, philanthropy, and every imaginable field, we can think of countless white women who rock and rock ridiculously hard.
And there, good people, is my point. I really should be able to stop here, but...
It is a well understood and established fact that #WhiteGirlsRock. It is undeniable not only in the examples I've pointed out, but in the fact I was so easily able to point them out. I'm no rare case; virtually everybody in America can do the same. Why? Because we can easily see it. Turn or your TV; do a google search, walk outside, read a newspaper or a magazine, and you'll see an abundance of examples. The fact is simply inescapable. And I'm glad about it! White women should be admired and adored and respected for all that they are.
But back to my opening statement: I am a black man. I love being a black man. You can definitely call me "pro-black" because I am a proponent of blackness, my blackness, your blackness, and am profusely proud of it. I was born to a black mother and raised with three black sisters. My aunties, grandmothers, female cousins, etc. are predominately black. And again, I love blackness, so I've seen and have purposely found more examples of black women who rock and rock ridiculously hard.
Again, I purposefully found more examples. I found Fannie Lou Hamer, Sojourner Truth, Angela Davis, Madam C.J. Walker, Cathy Hughes, Dorothy I. Height, Zora Neale Hurston, and so many more. At the time of this reading, how many of you, black or white, male or female, knew all of these names? How many of our own black girls don't know who these excellent role models are, let alone other members of our grand American society?
Do #WhiteGirlsRock? Absolutely. But having a program to commemorate that fact is as necessary as a sand salesman on the beach, as necessary an algebra tutor at MIT, as necessary as life insurance agents to immortals. Really, #WhiteGirlsRock is the Oscars. #WhiteGirlsRock is the Emmys. #WhiteGirlsRock is Sarah Palin being elected to be governor of a state in these United States and us not even think twice about it.
But how many people know as well as I do that #BlackGirlsRock? How many black girls fail to realize this about themselves? I'm all in for empowering these young black women so that they can know that they mustn't settle for men who use them sexually. I'm down with empowering these young black women so that they can know that they can excel academically, socially, financially, emotionally, and spiritually. I'm all about seeing my female students being empowered so they never chase a boy ever again, but demand respect from any boy smart enough to chase her. Because while these things are problems in every racial community, it is notably worse amongst black girls. Not only has mainstream culture failed to represent them in their movies, TV shows, books, academia, news, etc, but their own communities fail to affirm them, choosing instead to bump Lil Wayne, Juicy J, and all manner of misogyny.
#BlackGirlsRock is defiance against a culture that fails to affirm them; it's what too many black girls need to hear, too many Americans need to hear, that we just don't hear often enough. #WhiteGirlsRock is reactionary defiance against that defiance, trying to shame the people trying to give black girls the affirmation white girls so deservingly have already (though in our patriarchal society, I'd be the last to argue can't do better).
I celebrate the fact that #WhiteGirlsRock and so do you. You should, anyway. Now I ask that all join me in celebrating and spreading the news too many people missed: as it regards the women I love so dearly, like my wife, my mother, my sisters, my inner-city female students, my reflection in these women around the world, indeed, #BlackGirlsRock!
This is an excellent piece Jeff. I agree that all women(including myself) rock. White/black we all have our stories to tell. I wish people would understand that black girls have so much pressure that is placed on our shoulders on a daily. I feel that more now then anything we need more words of encouragement for the generation of today. We have a lost generation that do not place value on their worth. With only aspirations of being the next Kim K...shaking my head. We need to more real women to stand up say we rock and this is why..we start companies, we help our communities, and we lift other women up with positive words.
ReplyDeletePrecisely! Having a platform like #BlackGirlsRock allows other black girls, and the world at large, to see representations of self in the light of success where such representation is sorely lacking. I want the show to become more of a real life thing on the daily. How can we do that?
DeleteAs a black woman, I will first say, "thank you". For loving us. For understanding (pieces of) our plight. For acknowledging our presence. Our HERE. But, I was bothered by the comparisons of women that you used in your examples. To reference white women who rock you didn't pull from white women in history who have done incredible feats, you chose modern day actresses- all images of "standard" beauty in their own rights, all already seen in the public eye as sex symbols and quirky-cute, and attractive. Yet when you chose to highlight black women who rock, you dug into the crates of history and pulled out women, (AMAZING women to be clear) who are known for their intelligence, their determination, their fire- not their beauty. Where are the modern-day black women that you find attractive in the same way that you find these white women so? Where are the modern-day black women who you think rock? I challenge you to add to that list of black women who rock from history with black women who rock today. Black women who are sexy and smart and quirky-cute and talented...just like the modern-day white women you noted are.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome honey! I understand your challenge and hope you understand it's as much as a challenge for me as my lungs turning oxygen into carbon dioxide. again, i am pro-black with a chocolatey black wife. i have crushes on Nia Long, Nicole Beharie, Maimouna Youssef (local rising star from DC) and so many other black beautiful women. but proving this was not my point, or even educating the masses of these women i find so incredibly amazing. Doing so only parades my very real preference of black women and distracts from the point of #WhiteGirlsRock being unnecessary. I feel comfortable with my choice to leave my black women crushes out and list instead my black heroines and I hope it no longer bothers you.
Deletenow, that i can understand. awesome. thanks for the clarification. keep up the wonderful work!
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