J.R. Reynolds: Say it loud: He’s black and I’m proud

Posted in Articles, Media Archive, Politics/Public Policy, Social Science, United States on 2015-12-22 04:12Z by Steven

J.R. Reynolds: Say it loud: He’s black and I’m proud

Battle Creek Enquirer
Battle Creek, Michigan
2015-12-07

J.R. Reynolds, Community Columnist


J.R. Reynolds

Until my 2-year-old son is old enough to self-identify racially, I’ve declared him black. I’m raising him African American. Socially and legally. This, despite him being half white. Why? It’s in his best interest. But it’s not without serious, sometimes deadly challenges.

Being black in America has a bad rap. This, according to media, history books, government policy and even statistics. We’re the collective punching bag of mainstream society.

It’s open season on black youth. It’s OK to shoot first and ask questions later. We’re guilty until proven innocent. We’re viewed as a physical threat if we raise our voices in anger. Or throw up our hands to surrender. There’s more…

…So why would a black father like me enthusiastically claim “African American” for his toddler —a moniker that’s historically stigmatized by so many? After all, my son’s mom is white so alternatives exist. Among them: “biracial,” “multiracial” and “other.”…

Read the entire article here.

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I’m arming my brown-skinned son with a robust sense of racial and cultural self. An emphatic image to start; one rooted in reality but also acknowledges prevailing adverse illusions that present barriers for people of color.

Posted in Family/Parenting on 2015-12-14 03:26Z by Steven

I also recognize there are governments, institutions and individuals in this country that systematically define blackness visually, often assigning economic, social and legal penalties along the way. This is America’s reality; one that must be reckoned with.

Amid such enduring color bias, I’m arming my brown-skinned son with a robust sense of racial and cultural self. An emphatic image to start; one rooted in reality but also acknowledges prevailing adverse illusions that present barriers for people of color. A sturdy platform on which to germinate and then evolve identity.

J.R. Reynolds, “J.R. Reynolds: Say it loud: He’s black and I’m proud,” Battle Creek Enquirer, December 7, 2015. http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/opinion/columnists/2015/12/07/jr-reynolds-say-loud-black-proud/76919988/.

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