I used to work with all black people during the late night shift so our conversations get pretty righteous! Most of the stuff we discuss can’t be spoken again during the day shifts. I like that because I feel that we, on the late night shift, have a sense of secrecy when all the other shifts come in a little later. I’m sure the other shifts have their conversations but not like the 3rd shift.
Usually on most nights, I’m sitting in an area closer to the rest of the people. Because there weren’t any seats, I had to seat a little far away. I still was in ear shot of what was being said. I listened and realized that many of the black people that I work with are pro black, like really. I’m not talking about the black people that are “woke” and wear dashikis all day although there is nothing wrong with wearing dashikis. I’m talking about just regular everyday black folks that are living their own personal truths. One of them are from the UK and that took me by surprise because I’ve never met anyone in person from the UK let alone a black man. Anyway he stated that he is 100% against interracial marriage when it comes to people that have made a name for themselves. It’s not really about the race but about the representation.
This is very interesting to hear because I do agree with this to a certain degree. If you made a name for yourself, you, involuntarily or otherwise, become a representation for other people of your race. Everyday people will look at you as an example and if you are with the opposite race then what message are you sending to the people that are looking up to you? How would it changed if Malcolm X or Martin Luther King Jr, just to name a few people, were dating white women? Would that change your opinion about them? If you said no, I’m sure you’re lying or probably white but I’m not here to judge. I can take this a bit further. If you are fighting for the rights of your people and preaching a gospel that you believe, but then are partaking in activities that go against what you are speaking of then you are a hypocrite, simply put. You can’t be a Neo Nazi and have a black wife. You can’t be Pan African and have a white husband. It just contradicts itself and what you are fighting for, if anything at all. Trust me, if you are against gay marriage and you supported a local politician because they are against the union of two men or two women, but found out that they were indeed sleeping with the same sex, would you still support them, honestly? We look at the things that, at the center of it all, means nothing.
But then someone mentioned something interesting. What if that person was with you since day one when you didn’t know any better? What if you were dating someone of the opposite race and they stuck by you through all of the ups and downs? What if you didn’t know you would fall in love with the same sex before you became who you were? That is a good counter argument because I’m sure you don’t want to end a friend or relationship because of something as trivial as race or sex. However I do believe that people are beings that learn through what they see while growing. It all depends on the individual’s personal value system. Depending on how that person was able to become successful, my opinion is that they have the freedom to fall in love with whomever they want. Just because someone of a particular race or sexuality became successful doesn’t mean they have to carry the torch for the entire race or a specific group of people. That’s putting too much pressure on one human being. You can be an example in more ways than one and if your way of being an example stops at who you end up dating, then I believe you need to see the bigger picture.
Because this isn’t a race or sex thing. This is a morality thing. I believe it is possible to be passionate about something but still see the world with no limits. We are just on the outside looking in. We can’t challenge someone all because of who they choose to date. Will we think less of former President Barack Obama if his wife was white or if he was a gay man? Are we really looking at the character of the person or their sexuality/skin complexion?
As a black queer person myself, I have my own arguments about this. I agree that the black race should get together and stop trying to be a part of a world that do not want them anyway. But that’s not what this is about. This is about the human race as a whole and why we place so much emphasis on the pigmentation of ones skin in the first place, among other things. I know I mentioned sexuality but that’s another article for another day. And to top it off, people aren’t sure where they stand on this issue. Some people believe that society puts too much emphasis on race but clearly race is an issue when it comes to certain aspects of everyday life. I’ll sit here and say that I don’t agree with interracial dating/marriage, but will I disrespect a family member or my child for loving someone of a different race? Absolutely not. Will I tolerate it? Yes I will. Will I work with them? Yes I will. Am I nice and respectful? Yes I am. Even though I have my views on things, I am still respectful because I am who I am as a HUMAN BEING. Not as a black woman or a queer woman but as a HUMAN first. At the raw core of it all, we are human beings and I can’t treat another human being badly. Everyone have their preferences whether they choose to believe it or not, but at the end of it all, we are all humans and should be treated as a human first not as a color or as a sex.
After everything is said and done, the destruction of our planet will not be because of a natural disaster or a deadly illness. It will be due to human error. The human race has zero value and zero meaning other than it makes cents. Yes….cents. More on that another time.
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