If It Ain’t White It Ain’t Right Essay

When evaluating the immortality of break wizards backry, people oftentimes emphasize the abhorrent, physical abuse endured by Afro-Descendants, and precipitate the pernicious, psychological effects they suffered. Chief among the psychological effects manifested from slavery are notions of self-disgust and self- defense mechanism. Tragic ally, depresseds were resultd, by centuries of conditioning, to believe, accept, and demand their slave reigns authority that bleak innately implied inferiority.In Juan Francisco Manzanos Autobiography of a Slave, Manzano explores these themes with his personal experience as a Cuban Creole mulatto slave. In an arduous fight for freedom, Manzano is raised to believe that the only musical mode to paper bag is through a rejection of his sullen identity and an acceptance of his purity identity. The ideas of self-disgust and denial raise intriguing questions. Is it possible for shocking people to reach disclose real liberation, i. e. su bstantive democracy and citizenship, through the denial of their Black identity?What kind of liberation is achieved through the acceptance of the idea that quality of unitys identity is inherently inferior? This paper suggests that true psychological liberation, substantive democracy, and citizenship cannot be achieved through such a process, and that any organisation that requires such self-denial and self-hatred serves to reinforce or justify the racist system from which Blacks seek to escape. Identity development occurs during superstars childhood. From an primordial age, children are told who they are and how they relate to others in the world.During the era of slavery, Afro-descendant children were taught that the only way to salvation, both immediately and in the future, was through a sacrifice of their African roots. Perhaps the most vivid recent example of this occurred in the award-winning film The Help in which a Black maid tells a vernal White child You are smart. You are kind. You are important. During slavery, Black children were given no such messages. Part of the message Black children were taught was that their blackness was in some way responsible for their slavery.In discussing the common inclination for Afro-descendants to escape their African heritage, Ivan A. Schulman writes in the introduction, To make the leap to the master culture was not an uncommon aspiration in the nineteenth coke Among people of color at that place existed the general wish to clearn angiotensin-converting enzymes descendants insofar as possible, and distance themselves as frequently as possible from slavery (Manzano, 11). Through this desire, Blacks sacrificed their ingest self outlay in favor of their domineering White oppressors. As a young boy, Manzano too yearned to identify with the controlling white culture he inhabited. spot discussing his relationship with Dona Joaquina, star of the many women who raised him, he writes, She would dress me, foray my whisker, and take care that I did not mix with the other black children (Manzano, 55). Dona Joaquinas insistence to separate Manzano from his Black heritage is credited to the class system present among slaves in Cuba. Under this system, pure Black slaves were in opposition to Mulattos. Since Mulattos by definition had at least some White blood, they conjectured that they were superior to their full-blood Black counterparts, and therefore justified in hard to escape their Black identity.Consequently, the caste system served as the primary force that caused Manzano to run out from his plantation. As a result of having his family members and friends detached from his life, Manzano build it paramount to escape his present situation as a Mulatto slave amongst full-blood, Afro-descendant slaves, he writes, I saw myself at El Molino, without parents or rase relatives, and, in a word, a mulatto among blacks (Manzano, 133). This passage highlights one result of the denial of B lack identity, i. e. complete alienation from one part of the community from which one derives.Through this process, Blacks fundamentally lose their self worth. By refusing to accept and endorse their heritage, the significance of the Afro-descendant in society has deeply diminished. Juan Francisco Manzanos experience is one shared by several(prenominal) Afro-descendants in Latin and North America. Chica da sylva, reputedly the most famous and graceful Black woman in Brazilian history, is one glaring comparison. Chica da Silvas was a slave, but her master was so attracted to her that he wanted to marry her and thence free her from slavery.They lived in a luxurious house and had several beautiful children. Among Brazilians, Da Silva was considered to be the pinnacle matriarch. However, the ascendency of Da Silva to fame came with a cost. While discussing Da Silvas eminence in Brazilian society, Henry Louis supply writes, Chica da Silva was black, yet her skip to power within th e community was part of a conscious color effort. She acted like she was a white woman (Gates, 34). In order for Chica da Silva to be accepted as a valorized figure in Brazilian society, she had to forego her blackness.Furthermore, Maceos story serves the same purpose. A Cuban Creole, Maceo is revered for his courageous efforts as commander of the Cuban army during Cubas fight for independence. Through his courageous efforts, Cuba was finally able to break away from centuries of subjugation by Spain and be an independent nation. The particular that a Black man led Cuba to independence is remarkable and noteworthy, especially given that this occurred in 1898, only twelve years after slavery was abolished in Cuba. exclusively was Maceo actually Black?While discussing Maceos legacy among Cubans after his death, Gates writes, The researchers didnt try to diminish his legacy, but they sought to valorize the European part of his genetic heritage. They explained that although his bone s tructure was that of an African, the measurements of his skull affirmed that his brain was that of a white man. If Maceo was a superior man, then he couldnt be Black (Gates, 195). The notion of a Black man as a quintessential heroic figure in Cuban history is automatically discredited.Since Blacks were sack to be the majority, this stripping of ones Blackness was paramount in order for Whites to maintain control. More everywhere and most importantly, Maceos story entrap a precedent that if wealthy Whites had children who looked Black, they did not keep back to accept their status as Black Cubans. Thus prioritizing class over race. To this end, Blacks escaped their African roots not only psychologically, but physically as well. Within the social context of the Dominican Republic, the concept of saucer is analogous with Whiteness, particularly in the case of bull.While discussing the intersection of hair and identity in the Dominican Republic, Cassandra Badillo writes, a white wo mans hair is described blonder. Whether it is curly or straight, black or brown, it is express that she is blonder. About the others, it is said that they have bad hair and thats allbad hair has no color (Badillo, 36). The bad hair attributed to the others has several catastrophic consequences. Black women in the Dominican Republic habitually iron out their hair so that they can be White. As a result, they come blisters and burns, permanently damaging the condition of their scalp.Still, even though Blacks go through the physical anguish of straightening their hair, they do not fully whiten themselves. Badillo writes, straightening does not whiten a woman, straightening is about self-denial (Badillo, 37). Through the process of hair straightening, Blacks dismiss their African identity. While discussing the problems of hair straightening, Badillo writes, the problem is not ever-changing hair per se, but rather in the power relations it expresses and in the attitudes of domination i t reflects (Badillo, 36).Hair straightening operates in a way that camouflages and normalizes subordination and privilege. In doing this, Black women lose their autonomy and subjectivity, limiting them to formal or procedural forms of democracy and citizenship, thus suspending any chances of substantive salvation. The troublesome notions of self-denial and self-hatred too have plagued me. During high school, from my peers point of view, I was perceived as another Carlton Banks, the foil for Will Smiths subject in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Although on the surface Carlton seems like an admirable Black charactergets good grades, dresses sophisticatedly, and speaks well, further reflection leads one to believe the contrary. Despite the fact that he dresses well and speaks correctly, personality traits that are not in congruence with most depictions of African Americans, at the end of the day, he still seeks the adulation of those he perceives in authority (whites), and also has n o real disposition of self-respect.Now, I can truly say that I have evolved out of this condition. As an active member of the Black Students Alliance, I have acknowledge that my heritage is nothing to be ashamed of. I now view that up until this point in my life, I have been lied to. These lies were frame in in language that stated everything Black meant ugly, evil, and sinister, and everything White meant pure, high, and clean. This could not be any further from the truth. Now when people say, Say it loud I reply, Im Black and Im proud I have discerned the importance of not only accepting, but also celebrating ones Black identity. In order to address the perils of self-denial and self-hatred, there is no other way. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , If the black is to be free, he must move down into the inner resources of his own soul and sign with a pen and ink of self-assertive human race his own Emancipation Proclamation.