One thing I’ve noticed is that Black Americans seem to live rent-free in everybody’s head.
We can be 13% of the population and somehow become the center of conversations about sports, music, culture, crime, politics, education, language, fashion, family structure, and patriotism, all at the same time.
A white commentator can watch an NBA game and instead of talking about basketball, immediately starts imagining what Black players are thinking during the National Anthem. Why? Because for some people, Black Americans aren’t just citizens, we’re an obsession.
It’s almost like our cultural influence is a superpower. People study us, criticize us, imitate us, profit from us, fear us, blame us, and then claim we’re irrelevant in the same breath.
The irony is that many of the same people who say Black Americans complain too much spend an extraordinary amount of time talking about Black Americans.
From my perspective, that’s why lineage matters. Our history, culture, politics, and identity have had such a profound impact on America that people who have never walked in our shoes still feel the need to constantly explain us to ourselves.
If we’re supposedly so insignificant, why can’t they stop talking about us?
Notice how only White players for the Spurs put their hand over their heart during the National Anthem.
Wemby crosses his arms.
Most of them are probably singing the Black “anthem” under their breath.
Black America has a patriotism problem.