Mark Naison: On Articulate Blacks

To My Black Brothers and Sisters ( And Anyone Else Who Will Listen!):

This whole controversy that Senator Joseph Biden set in motion by referring to Barack Obama as "articulate" has me a lot more amused than upset.

Yes, we all know scores of whites who reveal their unconscious racism by referring to a talented black colleague, or public figure, as "articulate"

But to see whites assign themselves the role as arbiters of clear, and precise speech when they themselves often mumble and stumble in the presence of Black people makes Biden's remarks even more absurd.

My black friends, how many times have you walked into a room of white people and brought conversation to a halt? How many times have you had white people you meet at a party or a job interview find themselves at a loss for words or ask you a really stupid question? How many times have you found yourself in a conversation about race with a white person and have them qualify everything they say with phrases that suggest confusion ,uncertainty and guilt?

If you think you are the only person who has experienced this, pick up a copy of Edward Bonilla-Silva's book "Racism Without Racists: Color Blind Racism and the Persistance of Racial Inequality in the United States." Bonilla Silva argues, on the basis of extensive examination of interview data, that becoming inarticulate when the subject of race comes up is a strategy-whether conscious or unconscious- that whites use to avoid taking responsibility for continuing segregation and inequality in the United States. He has page after page of interview summaries where informants pause, hesitate, and use phrases like " I'm not a racist, but" and "my black friend isn't like this, but" while arguing that blacks are lazier than whites and expressing their opposition to interracial marrage and affirmative action.

I'm not saying that all whites start stuttering or putting their foot in their mouth when a black person enters the room, but enough do to give ammunition to Bonilla-Silva and to make Joseph Biden's comment even more absurd than it was

As for me, I hope my Black friends, colleagues, and family members will give me an honorary exemption from Bonilla-Silva's categories and say "You know, that Naison sure likes to talk. That's the most ARTICULATE White Boy I've ever
met"