Surely, you’ve heard members of the Black nation say, “I’m jus’ keepin’ it one-hunnit.” Older sisters and brothers might say, “Keepin’ it real,” or even more to the point, “Keepin’ it Black.”
The inference here is that there is a Black standard, a Black norm, a specific way of being Black that is celebrated and acceptable. What comes with that assertion is the sometimes spoken, but oftentimes silent presumption and expectation that there are ways of acting, living and being that are outside the Black norm, and therefore not Black.
Many universes
What I have learned in my 59 years on this planet is that there are entire cultures people live in, attach themselves to, and derive joy and meaning from that I know little to nothing about. There are entire universes of activities, celebrations and happenings that come with attached activities such, as practices, award ceremonies, universe-specific rituals and jargon that are as foreign to those outside those circles as they are familiar to the folk involved.
We all are part of various universes. I grew up in a sports-dominated world. It didn’t matter if I was good, great or sorry – and I’ve been all of those at various points in time – sports was still my world. And more specifically, football and baseball were my passions. Because as I later found out, all that running we did for football and baseball conditioning was actually viewed as a sport that served as its own unique universe – track.
In my world, running was a drudgery a human being did solely to get ready to do your thang on the gridiron or baseball diamond (and for me, later, on the b-ball court). Surely, no person in their right mind would run for the sake of running? Turns out, millions globally do; many of my teammates included.
Running for Running’s Sake?
I didn’t understand it until the brothers talked about the track meets, and their “interactions,” whether fact or fiction, with the young lady sprinters and hurdlers. I got my own up close and personal look into the world of track and field when I covered it for the University of Texas student newspaper, The Daily Texan, a few years later, back in the mid-80s. As a new sports reporter, all of the “main” beats were taken. I had my choice between men’s golf and women’s track. I chose track, and saw first-hand what my high school homies wouldn’t stop talking about.
Lord, Lord.
I was thus, introduced to a whole new world.
Comic Book Nerds, Assemble
I also grew up immersed in comic book culture. And though it’s been decades since I’ve purchased a comic book, I’m still well-versed in the lingo, know my Marvel, DC history (among other comic book publishers), can tell you objectively who would win a fight between Batman and Superman, spent hours teaching my YES Prep North Forest ninth graders why Black Panther deserved his own movie (years before Black Panther got his own movie), and still have in my collection far too many of those comics I bought way back in the day.
But even with my comic book love, there’s a comics universe that goes much deeper than I ever dared dive into.
Future Farmers, Do Your Thang
Something I found strange, even though I was in Texas schools from 4th grade to college, was this thing called the FFA (Future Farmers of America). I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why some of my Black high school classmates would live in that world and not sports. I was just straight ignorant. At the time, I didn’t know of our history as the world’s first farmers and husbandry folk.
In my young mind, I saw Blackfolk in FFA as getting dirty outside in the heat and mud for no good reason… a good reason being hitting a game-tying double off the left-centerfield fence or making a goal-line stand on the football field to preserve a district championship. I didn’t know their FFA world connected to regional, national and global food growing and dissemination networks, the local and national livestock show and rodeo universe, and more, involving college scholarships and community service.
I simply didn’t know.
Expanded Exposures
And for me, as a high schooler, or me now, as a person knocking on 60’s door, to declare for the world what is and is not authentically Black is insane. The world is so much bigger than my personal knowledge, experiences and preferences.
Over the years I’ve been exposed to universes I knew little or nothing about. Though one of my best friends in high school was in band, I was unaware of all the many intricacies and connected camps and competitions and coaches/tutors and concerts associated with the world of up-and-coming musicians until my youngest son picked up the trumpet in elementary school (shout-out to the MacGregor Tigers) and hasn’t put it down since. He’ll be a high school junior this fall.
As a parent whose oldest son was into hip-hop “battle” dance, and whose two youngest daughters dove head-first into that world, I was blown away by the number of dance studios, events, practices, trips, etc. that galvanize swarms of dancers and their parents and fans. Not to mention all the clothing lines and music and media that are directly connected.
My oldest daughter is a teacher, a world I know a little something about. But she has way more knowledge in that K-12 world than I do. I have another daughter who is a fitness trainer and health services provider – two additional universes where I’m not even a “padawan” (Almost forgot – I’m a card-carrying member of the movie-geeks world).
Basically, whatever humans are interested in, you will find us, the Blacks, there. We’re there at skateboard parks. Yes, Blacks do all those X-Games sports. If there’s a chess tournament, you’ll see us taking kings and queens. Mixed martial artists, performers of every form of music, Dungeons and Dragons aficionados, foodies, international travelers, gardening society patrons, piloting, mathematics advanced degree program students… we are they.
Celebrate Diverse Black Authenticity
The “What is authentic Blackness” question deserves thought, conversation and answers. But “what we not gon’ do” (or at least shouldn’t do) is exclude our sisters and brothers who are dedicating their time, energy and brilliance in spaces that we personally deem “for whites or Asians or Latinos” only. Especially since most of the things done in those spaces and the math, science and creativity that gave birth to those spaces, nine times out of 10, were birthed by us anyway.
