First of all i want to say Happy Black History Month! As we celebrate during this time i think it’s also important to be honest about where we’re at right now with each other and bring some issues within our community to the forefront in order to discuss and hopefully bring change. I love being black and take so much pride in it but unfortunately I have been singled out and attacked by black men more than anyone in any other race/gender and i’m OVER IT (for context I am a black women of Jamaican and Native American decent). I truly believe one of our leading problems we have as a race is the fact that a good amount of black men separate, degrade and fetishize black women.

SITUATION 1

I’m at a comedy show with two of my girls who are both black with light skin, my skin is cocoa. The comedian points me out and tells me that if we were all in a singing group I would be the background singer of the group and since i’m dark skin. This is coming from a black man who also has dark skin.

SITUATION 2

I’m with two friends who are Eritrean and Haitian. A black man who I was talking with for about 5 mins tells me to my friends that I’m the outcast of my friend group because I’m “just regular black”. I tell him I’m Jamaican and native american and he said “Oh well you look regular black, i bet you don’t know no Patwan”. He was attempting to say Patois and failed miserably but the point is his ignorance is not only putting me in an embarrassing situation it’s actually completely degrading to the entire black race.

If a white man put me in either of those two situations I feel like their would be outrage but because it came from a black man it’s somehow accepted. None of my friends stuck up for me either time, I don’t blame them i think it’s because it’s shocking when people are that ignorant and I also realize you have to fight your own battles especially in these types of situations. But at the same time if it was coming from a white man would they have said something, i think so.