Stop acting white?

I don't know whether Rev. Jesse Jackson has seen the Marlon Riggs film, "Black is, Black A'int," but perhaps he should.

In his film, the late director exploded the typical notions of exactly what it means to be "black" and that word's infinite connotations. Riggs looked at how black identity in America superficially appears to be very specific -- but is actually more complex than the varieties of curry in a Bombay marketplace.

I am particularly reminded of Riggs' film because Rev. Jesse Jackson recently accused Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama of the one thing that any well-spoken, successful, upwardly mobile and educated black person eventually is accused of: Acting White.

For the story, go here:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-070919jackson,1,2854629.story

Jackson apparently was miffed that Obama did not take a more pronounced stance on the case of the "Jena 6" in Louisiana. In a nutshell, the case is about six young black teens who are facing rather stiff charges after beating a white teen during a fight at a high school in the small town of Jena. The fight occurred after racial tension had built up at the school because a black student sat under a "whites only" tree in the schoolyard. The next day three nooses were hanging from the tree. The story boils down to a dual system of justice in this southern town of about 3,000 -- a place where whites and blacks who commit the same or similar crimes receive disproportionate sentences (with blacks receiving the more extreme sentences). A protest march in Jena is scheduled to take place in support of the accused young men today.

Back to Jackson. According to the Associated Press, Jackson said Obama was "acting white" for not taking a stronger stand on the Jena 6 case -- even though Obama has repeatedly said it was an obvious case of injustice, saying the issue was a matter of "right and wrong" as opposed to being a matter of black and white. "We should stand as one nation in opposition to this and any injustice," Obama was quoted in the Chicago Tribune.

Jackson later told the newspaper that he didn't remember saying the phrase, and that it didn't reflect his opinion. So in other words, he doesn't remember saying it, but if he did say it, he doesn't agree with it.

I suppose that happens to all of us from time to time.

Jackson's comments (or non-comments, as he has a problem remembering what he said) cut a little too close to the bone because there have been many occasions where I have been accused of "acting white" -- always by other blacks. I'll never forget when I worked as a reporter at a black-owned newspaper in San Diego years ago. One of the sales associates once said to me, in a condescending voice,"Why do you talk white? Why don't you talk like a brotha?" I had to laugh. I told the woman that I have tons of black friends who speak five, even six different languages -- none of which are ghetto English, or "Ebonics," as some people call it. "Are they less black, because they speak languages other than Ebonics?" I asked in response.

She didn't really understand the question, as I guess this poor woman had never seen a multilingual black person in the 'hood, so therefore it didn't compute in her mind. It was kind of like the scene at the end of “Logan's Run,” where the computer explodes because it can't process all the information.

I also came across similar situations when I was a student at Morehouse College for a short period of time -- an all-black, all-male university in Atlanta, Ga. I was from California, and most people couldn't really dig a black guy in ripped up jeans in flip-flops, a KISS T-shirt and an acoustic guitar hung on his shoulder. "Oh, he's from California. He must think that he's white." I used to hear people whisper that under their breath as I passed by. I could go on and on with similar experiences.

The thing that makes "acting white" comments like Jackson's so asinine is the fact that there is a inherent assumption of black specificity and identity -- one that falsely assumes all black people should think the same, talk in a particular manner, adhere to a particular political mindset, etc. In Jackson's mind, it probably seemed clear that the Jena 6 case represented an opportunity for Obama to play the race card -- and when he didn't play that card to Jackson's liking, Obama might as well have his membership to the black race revoked indefinitely.

If Jackson disagrees with Obama on the issues, that's one thing. But to go even further to attack the man's ethnic background -- that's below the belt. As if Obama can't make up his own mind on the Jena 6 without having to play the black side vs. the white side game.

On a more gut level, Jackson's comments reminds me of the name-calling that often occurs in black and Hispanic communities when someone is perceived as acting in a manner that is not in accordance with society's perceived notion of racial identity. Such individuals are referred to as Oreos or coconuts -- brown on the outside and white on the inside. As I said earlier, probably the worst thing about being accused of "acting white" is that virtually all upwardly mobile, educated black people I know have been called that at some point in their lives. That probably says more about the person who is making the insult.

Even more ironic is the fact that people like Jackson who accuse others of "acting white" would claim to oppose the gross negative stereotypes that give birth to perceived notions and myths of racial identity in the first place -- notions of black identity that are propagated by a very narrow-minded group of people to further marginalize those who strive to do other than "know their place" -- all of which is absorbed and reinforced by the general public to no small degree.

If I were to give any advice to Sen. Obama, I would tell him not to worry about people worrying about him "acting black" or "acting white."

Just concentrate on acting human.