Black is beautiful

Oreos are absolutely delicious. The chocolate cookie and the white cream on the inside is a beautiful match made in heaven. Unfortunately, there are two meanings to “an oreo” and this discussion is not about milk’s best friend.

An oreo is someone who is black on the outside and white on the inside. It carries the connotation of not being black enough or being whitewashed. It is a phrase that segregates black people from their culture. Being called an oreo may seem like a little kid thing, but it can make individuals question their own identity. The name calling and labeling is impertinent and very offensive.

Whitewashing originally meant covering up something with white paint.

Stanley James, a Southwestern College African-American history professor said, “whitewashing is generally meant to cover up your mistakes.”

Today, black people who stray too far from their racial stereotype are considered whitewashed. To a certain extent, whitewashing is unavoidable. Black people do it everyday, when they switch roles. They use different dialects at work and at school than they do with friends and family. Doing this too often, and maybe even too well, can feed into being called an oreo.

By definition, code switching is alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language during a conversation. Mastering the proper way to speak English, using correct grammar and sentence structure, and even losing one’s accent are ways black people code-switch to gain respect. While black individuals are constantly switching between dialects, society will often assume these people are leaving their culture behind and evolving into a Caucasian. These assumptions are prejudiced and ignorant.

Just because a person does not match society’s stereotype does not mean that they are any less of their race or ethnicity.

Dr. Andre J. Branch, president of the NAACP, had many words for this type of mindset. Branch said it comes from those who “lack the experience that these other folks have with other people of color who are both intelligent and successful.”

Branch stated his interpretation of whitewashing.

“It’s an insult hurled at others … and accuse them of forgetting their culture and background,” Branch said.

Branch explained that when a black person decides to act like him or herself, they get made fun of by their own people.

Ra Henderson, an open mic host, international poet and San Diego public figure, said “being whitewashed comes with many stereotypes.”

Henderson said he grew up in a home without many financial struggles. He attended what would be considered a charter school in middle school then attended a boarding school in high school.

“I was one out of maybe five black kids there,” Henderson said. “Although I was never told that I didn’t act black, I got that vibe from my surrounding. It was self-imposed.”

Something that was not self-imposed was being compared to Carlton Banks, the nerdy preppy black kid at an all-white private school from the hit 90’s sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

“I was often told that I looked like Carlton, not necessarily acted like him,” Henderson said.

Carlton Banks is an iconic character. He is the only son of a wealthy black family who attended a prestigious private school. He was known as someone who didn’t act being black enough because of his upbringing. In the episode, “Blood Is Thicker than Mud,” a member of the Phi Beta Gamma fraternity called Carlton a sellout because of where he grew up and how he dressed.

“Being black isn’t what I’m trying to be, it’s what I am,” Banks said. “I’m running the same race you are and jumping the same hurdles you are. You said we need to stick together, but you don’t even know what that means. If you ask me, you’re the real sellout.”

Whether it is being told that you look like Carlton Banks, or being reminded of Carlton Banks, you are still seen as the token black friend who doesn’t act black.

Henderson went out of his way to study how to be a “black person” the whole summer before going to Hampton University. Once he arrived on campus and started to mingle, however, he realized those Friday movie marathons and spades lessons were unnecessary. He didn’t have to change the way he spoke or use a different vocabulary to fit in because everyone there was like Henderson growing up.

Code switching goes beyond language. Chandra Arthur was featured in an article called POCIT, People Of Color In Tech where she discusses the backlash of code switching. She is the founder and chief friending officer of an app called Friendish.

“Code-switching is what happens when people reflexively or subtly change the way they express themselves,” Arthur said.

Black individuals often have to portray different versions of themselves. In some cases this can actually relate to life or death situations, such as a police encounter. Worst-case scenario, a black person and their inability to code-switch could result in a deadly assault over what could have been a minor misunderstanding.

Code switching for black people is aligning themselves to be culturally compatible with important people, explained Arthur. Yet no one else is aligning themselves to be culturally compatible with black people.

Black individuals must cater to the proper way of speaking American English, a language founded by European colonists who invaded and forcibly taught the current owners, and soon to be slaves, the language.

In short, black people are just expected to code-switch.

This expectation threatens diversity.

Code switching can lead to being labeled as a white person trapped in a black person’s body. It’s a lose-lose situation. If someone were to act black, they would not be respected. But if someone were to act white, they would be labeled as an oreo.

It’s a never-ending cycle.

“People of color need to have a strong sense of self,” Branch said.

Growing up, the name-calling can cause a major identity crisis because people do not know who they are or what they look like to other people. Being called an oreo or whitewashed is offensive because not only does it label an individual, it implies only Caucasians can have those characteristics. It is the 21st Century and this generation is frustrated that other minorities are straying away from their cultural characteristics, accusing them of turning “white.” This can cause an identity crisis.

“Never apologize for you being you,” Henderson said.