On this day of profound significance, I am reminded of something I encountered in a local college newspaper. I read a remarkable Letter to the Editor from a young black student. His letter was amazing, and his insights were worth sharing with everyone of all races.
This student wrote that, as a black male, it would not be accurate or wise to make judgments about him without knowing him personally. He highlighted, for example, that while he likes some rap music, he much prefers traditional rock and roll, and even an occasional country song.
Is Your Bias Showing?
He wrote that if you think a black student should not like country music, then your bias is showing. Why couldn’t a student, of any race and any ethnicity, enjoy a particular type of music even if it’s not traditionally ascribed to his or her particular group? Who is in control here?
He likes historical novels, modern novels, biographies, and autobiographies. He was captivated by a biography about the Wright Brothers. He has a place for poetry in his life and has found the poems from many writers to be relevant to him, from Maya Angelou to Carl Sandburg.
He suggests to each of us that a world of possibilities awaits when it comes to entertainment, music, and literature. Why, he asks, must we be confined to the narrow band of choices that others, particularly within our own race and ethnicity, suggest that we adhere to? Who decided what is best for all members of a particular group? On what do they base their decisions?
Freedom vs Stereotypical Conformity
Who determined that venturing outside of such restrictive limits is somehow being a traitor to one’s group? And what does it mean to even be a traitor when it comes to literature, history, music, and so on?
Recommended
He pointed out in the most eloquent of terms that following the dictates of a small section of the populace and adhering to the stereotypes which prevail are extremely limiting to one’s personal freedom and an attack on one’s individual individuality and even creativity.
With so many experiences and possibilities that one can enjoy, he ponders: why limit yourself, especially at the age of 19, 20, or 21, to predefined, limiting confines? I marveled at this young man’s wisdom, which seems to transcend his years. I certainly was not as wise or perceptive at that age.
No Free for All
Over the next few days, I was eager to see if there would be any responses to his letter. Surely, he’s going to get some blowback. Someone of his own race will tell him that he needs to get “back in his lane.” Someone will proclaim that he’s “not acting black,” or being black enough. Somebody else will say that he’s been brainwashed, probably from an early age, and he’s trying to capitulate to the predominant caucasian culture. Someone might call him an “Uncle Tom.”
While I was monitoring the publication, nothing was said of his letter. I hoped maybe somebody else, or lots of somebodies, understood the man’s viewpoint. They could see the wisdom in his observations. I thought perhaps someone would comment in that direction, but that didn’t happen either.
In the larger sense, it’s a shame that blacks and other minorities, as well as caucasians, are supposed to act this way or that way. Hispanics are supposed to prefer this versus that. Asians are supposed to do this versus that. Why, exactly, do these illegitimate confines continue to rule the perceptions of vast numbers of our population?
Why can’t we be free to like what we like, prefer what we prefer, and not have others be the gatekeepers of our intellectual pursuits?
Bound for Success
I do not know this young man and how he has fared in his studies and overall life. I surmise that whatever he’s doing — whether it’s continuing in his education, landing a job, entering the military, volunteering, traveling, or simply taking time off — he will continue to pursue his interests and remain unique.
Hopefully, he’ll continue to sidestep unwarranted, prevailing norms that dictate what he can like, think, and be. On this historic day, may we all strive for such personal freedom.
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