Michele Corlette on It Bears Mentioning

I think of myself as a pragmatist rather than as right or left. I want peace and plenty for all. Doesn’t everyone. The thing that bothers me most about DiAngelo and the gang is that they don’t want us to talk to each other until we’ve been purified by the holy scripture of their books and have attended one or more of their seminars on correct thought and behavior. They counsel us not to question Black people about anything because they are exhausted. One must believe the lived experience. I have lived experience as well. If I believed it was the truth I would distrust and fear Black people. (I lived in Milwaukee’s Inner Core, we were robbed, friends were physically attacked, housing values dropped to nothing, blah de dah) I got out. I got educated and met people different from myself. Black people come in all flavors just as White people do. I think the biggest problem is there aren’t enough Black people to go around. There are concentrated population pockets but so much of the country has 5% or less Black citizens. We’ve got to talk to each other, work side by side, make small mistakes, correct each other and argue or laugh it off. Incorporate a little of each other’s slang, enjoy each other’s food and fashion. We can’t do that if we don’t meet and talk. An aside: the hair touching thing. I know it’s unwanted and I would never ever do that to a Black woman. Among White women however I don’t consider a woman to be a close friend until we have touched each other’s hair. It goes something like this: “Oh I hate my hair, no body” Potential friend reaches over, touches a lock: “But it’s so silky and shiny!” Potential friend leans forward to offer a touch: “Now my hair…” Maybe it’s my social class. Anyway I don’t think most Black people are separatists who want only stylized interactions with White people. The ones who do, and especially their advocates, are just very vocal. I have no fear, based on skin color, that I will be robbed or attacked but I do fear grievous social error. So I stand back, act stiff. I am part of the problem.