The Race Zone

Blacks are going to need some time to adjust to being in the ‘race zone’, that emerging place where the value of ignoring the bulk of racism approaches the value of fighting it. Whites are not going to make the transition easy, either. On one hand, they voted a Black man into the White House, all the while still able to toss the n-word around like a Sunday football. In some twisted way, this intersection might represent progress. In the race zone, one can be racist and not racist at the same time.

By example, Obama got elected, but in the recent health care debate Black Washington lawmakers were called nigger, and spit upon by Whites (here), reminding us rudely, of the old days. The nuance is that even in a post-up racial America, acting racist is a good way to draw attention and belittle your adversary, regardless of how you really feel. They would say just because someone calls you a nigger, it doesn’t mean they really ‘David Duke-hate’ your ass. Maybe they're simply trying to psyche you out.

Thirty years ago, in college, a very good friend and roommate, whom I had known since middle school, got bent out of shape when his cute blond cousin asked me out on a date. He hated her previous White boyfriend, who was abusive, but still preferred that dude to me. He easily reconciled me as his best friend, but not good enough for his cousin. I could strangely see his point.

On one side, my friend had my back, but he also carried a legacy that our friendship could not simply shrug off. When pushed to the mat, the idea that his cousin might try to jump me made race come out hard and ugly. The people who don’t like Obama can’t help but call him racial names during their mouth-foaming protests. Blacks are late to the stick-n-stones party, because slavery and Jim Crow were the real deal, not just words. Under the old rules, somebody could get hurt – still can.

Looking back, my best friendships are where race differences are explicit, including a lot of ‘you people’ this and that, designed to ‘keep it light, real, and up front’. But it's also about knowing who really has got your back, regardless of color. For better or worse, the race zone is where most of us are headed, ready or not.

James C. Collier

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