Socially destructive phrasing

To the Editor,

“The Black Community” is a socially destructive phrase.

There are a lot of things we say every day that fit the commonly accepted definition of ‘racist’ and reveal the lazy thinking that is frequently at the root of what we say and do. Warning: this piece of writing requires actual mental effort.

First, I need to give you an idea of my point of view. You need to know a writer’s point of view in order to understand the basis for his or her logic and in order to make a judgement about the integrity of that foundation. I am a Christian, the kind of Christian that starts her self-definition with that statement before saying ‘I’m a 64-year-old country woman, a loving family member, a highly-involved church member, a full-time employee and a college educated special education professional who enthusiastically works with mentally and physically handicapped individuals in a group home setting.”

Oh, and another thing you should know. There is no such thing as ‘race’ as the term is used in relation to humans. On government forms that require an answer to that question, I check the box marked ‘Other’ and write in “Adam’s.” Any other descriptions are false dichotomies. And counter-productive. And divisive. The Bible refers to country of origin, religious beliefs, cultural preferences and sometimes even hair color. It refers to differences in language and pronunciation. It refers to the skin color of Solomon’s ‘beloved.’ It refers to lineage of birth, acts of devotion and acts of abomination. It does not refer to things that do not exist.

Now, knowing all that, you should be able to understand my objection to an absurdly irrational phrase that is in common usage by individuals of widely varying moral, social and political opinions.

The Black Community. What black community? The one in the southeast section of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, or the one in the two-block area around a particular AME church in Harlem? When anyone says “The black community,” it makes me cringe. I admit that I’ve used it, but that was when a certain segment of my brain was idling in neutral. Once my mental motor got in gear, it occurred to me: How stupid is that phrase? How prejudiced is that phrase? Would you ever say, “In the white community....” and follow it with any assumption whatever? Is there any assumption or statement you can safely make, other than “In the white community, people live, eat, breathe and sleep?” The blithe assumption of any shared experiences beyond that is outrageously demeaning, presumptive, illogical, insensitive, inflammatory, patronizing, dismissive, disparaging, chauvinistic, narrow-minded, myopic and simplistic, not to mention just plain wrong.

Get a grip on your thought processes. Anyone who uses the phrase “In the black community,” is either using it mindlessly, which brings into serious question anything they may say after that, OR they are using it in order to promote the notion that skin color is a determining factor in how someone thinks, feels, acts and lives. Now, compare that to your definition of ‘racist’ and see how it stacks up.

Edna L. Myers

Harviell