On this second-to-last day of Black History Month, let us return to posts past.
We have been urged to celebrate Black History Month…
- …with fried chicken and collard greens.
- No really, with fried chicken and collard greens! (pictured)
- …by relaxing our hair and drinking kool-aid.
- …by conflating them with “underprivileged” people.
- …with a “Compton Cookout” complete with blackface and nooses!
- …by buying stuff from companies that do nothing but acknowledge Black History Month.
<sarcasm> Good times. </sarcasm>
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 4
Catie Waier — February 28, 2012
My alma mater used to celebrate (and probably still does) with a special "Black History Month dinner" - fried chicken and watermelon. Absolutely horrifying.
Anonymous — February 28, 2012
I just love this new post-racial America we live in!
But what is frustrating on the food thing is that nothing is really wrong with attributing soul food cuisine (i.e. collard greens, cornbread, fried chicken) etc. with black culture. That is where it is rooted. The problem comes in when people think that is all African Americans are and that one can simply celebrate black history month with a hamhock and pig's feet or some variant of what is traditionally known as soul food.
The issue isn't with the association. It's with the generalization and assumption that all black people can be represented with traditional soul food cuisine - and with the way blackness is objectified and ridiculed on the basis of that culinary history.
StrngeFruit — February 28, 2012
Isn't tomorrow the last day (leap year)?
Anonymous — February 28, 2012
So... the politically correct way to acknowledge black history month is by doing things that are specifically what? Sales on items used in black culture are outrageous, as are things associated with culture about blacks, and non-racial things.
It seems that the only type of thing that won't bring outrage is tacit denial or typically white-focused events. (In honor of black history month, 20% off of all suits.)