Last week a co-worker who knows I'm not the most experimental with my food asked me if I wanted to try some chicken feet. Frowning, I declined. Seeing the look on my face, he assured me that I'd indeed enjoy them "because they taste just like pig feet". Now, I'm sure to many his statement is no big deal. Many would think he was simply making a comparison comment in order to make me feel better about indulging in a plate of toes. However, I read what he didn't say, "Malikka, I'm sure you'll love these chicken feet since your people are such fans of pig feet". I mean, I'm black so OF COURSE I must love a big ole' plate of feet, right?
After correcting his misconception of black people and our eating habits with my well-rehearsed "Just because I'm black doesn't mean I..." speech, I reflected on how old these kinds of conversations get. I know that preconceived notions based on nothingness will always exist. I'm guilty of a few and I've certainly been the victim of many. However, I feel like there should come a time in our lives when we start to think further than just what is in front of us. And while I know that all stereotypes are based in fact, the end result is usually so far from the original truth, it's completely ridiculous.
I, for example, am a black person who defies many stereotypes attached to people who look like me and unfortunately, there are many people around to continually remind me of how I deviate from what their limited minds have determined to be the truth. I am well read, articulate, unafraid of hard work, literate, a lover of the arts, and a student. I don't eat watermelon, haven't had kool-aid in years, and am well aware that "red" is not an actual flavor. I've never danced a jig or shucked a pea, and I most certainly DO NOT eat pig feet. However, I'm still as "black" as they come. From the ethnic beauty I possess by way of my round and wide nose, my kinky locs, my full lips, and my even fuller hips. But "blackness" isn't just about the way I look, what I eat, or the way I move. There's a certain "knowingness" and vibe that I believe to be innate based on our history on this planet. Our struggles and triumphs and our ability to take it all in stride is a true gift. And even though it is true that part of our make up consists of slang, talkin' shit, pimpin', hustlin', shuckin' and occasionally jiving, we are truly more than that. We are intellectuals. We are inventors. We write, we run, we protest. We are politicians, theologians, and parents. We contribute to this country daily with our talents. And in spite of all these things, some will still look at me and see nothing more than a watermelon eating, pea shucking, pig foot sucking, black chick.
The truth can sometimes be incredibly unattractive but it doesn't stop me from giving the speech. I will continue to give it until I'm out of breath because everyone needs to know that I, and everyone who looks like me, consist of more than what can be contained in a piece of pork. We are the things people think we are and none of those things simultaneously. And in all of our contradictions, we are bona fide.
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