(White) America’s Worst Nightmare

I am white conservative America’s worst nightmare. Those who know me personally may find this curious as to why I would say this. By society’s “material” measures I am “successful”, whatever that may mean. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from DePauw University, a small private liberal arts college in Indiana which I followed up by earning a Master’s Degree of Public Affairs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. I have worked for 15 years at a fairly large organization where I have been promoted twice. I say this not to brag but to provide context for why I am (conservative) white America’s worst nightmare. I am a “problem” because I am an educated black man speaking truth to power about society’s continued injustice against minorities and my unwillingness to “shook and jive” to please conservative America.

Those of us, educated black men are a threat because:

· We directly challenge the flawed belief that America is a post-racial society.

· Our opinions cannot be summarily dismissed as we have no obvious need to make “excuses” for why we are struggling or have been in trouble with the law.

· We are willing to directly challenge the so-called “safe” black people out there who sell out to curry favor with conservatives. The likes of Candace Owens and her ilk illustrate this.

I come to this conclusion based on my personal experience. I witnessed the shift in how some conservative attitudes changed towards me once I spoke my mind and demonstrated that I will not hesitate to call out bigotry and injustice. I spoke so strongly against the not-so-subtle attempts at voter suppression in the 2012 Presidential election, an elderly white lady at church asked me if I was “racist” against white people. I calmly stated that I was not as this was absurd and an obvious example of gaslighting.

I cannot take original credit for this idea. My favorite show is David Simon’s brilliant drama “The Wire” which I have watched countless times (note: I run through all 60 episodes at least once a year). In one episode, a brilliantly dressed enforcer named Brother Mouzone comes to Baltimore to handle business for crime lord Avon Barksdale. He is a bow-tie suit wearing, plain spoken black man not afraid to enforce his will. He is well-read as indicated by his magazine choice including Harper’s Magazine. There is a scene where he asks his assistant “Do you know what America’s worst nightmare is? To which Mr. Mouzone then answers, a (black person) with a library card.” This reminded me of the statement I have seen on T-shirts “Danger: Educated Black Man”.

This is illustrated when we see the conservative backlash against athletes who speak out or peacefully demonstrate against police brutality and racism. One personal experience dealt with the backlash against Colin Kaepernick. I remember a passionate Cincinnati Bengals fan who I knew, stated that he was “proud” of his Bengals because none of them were kneeling during the national anthem. I was apoplectic at this statement because at this time several Bengals players had been arrested or sued for assault against women among other things. Where I come from, that’s nothing to be “proud” about. Another instance was when a Fox News personality stated that Lebron James should just “shut up and dribble” because of his criticism about our “role model” of a President. I raise these two examples because they illustrate the conservative tendency to applaud black athletes and celebrities as long as they “stay in their lanes” and remain safe. We see this in society too, where black buffoonery is lauded while intellect is questioned.

The burden for me is real to continue speaking out against injustice despite my supposed material “success”. I refuse to become a token example of “proof” that America is beyond racism. I look with disappointment and disillusionment when I see successful black people and other minorities out there who are willing to be used to support white supremacist agendas. When Darrell C. Scott, the black Cleveland pastor who said Mr. Trump was the “most pro-black President” we’ve ever had. I cringed with anger and sadness that someone could debase themselves to this extent just to gain favor. They prove that self-loathing is a real phenomenon. The struggle continues and I will continue to speak truth to power!