SHREVEPORT, La. ( KTAL/KMSS ) – “Race” is America’s four-letter word that everyone knows but would rather ignore – until it is time for demographic grouping, but who or what determines what is considered “Black.”
Frequently, people in the media and newsmakers feel compelled to question a person’s “Blackness.” Whether it is former President Donald Trump questioning when VP Kamala Harris “turned Black” or the overloaded – “Is {Black person} Black enough,”
Most Black professionals will tell you that at some point in their academic or professional journey, they were told by a non-Black colleague or classmate, “You’re Black, but not Black, Black” – whatever that means.
Thurgood Marshall’s right hand woman once fought segregated housing practices in Shreveport
Entertainers, elite athletes, business leaders, and rising politicians who are also Black frequently have their connections to other Black people questioned. The questions are typically posed by journalists, pundits, and culture commentators with little or no connection to the Black community themselves. So the question is, who gets to decide who is Black?