I am Not a Young Black Woman

Hello, hello, I know it’s been a while but good things take time.                                                                   Now for this comeback entry, anyone with eyes to see will inevitably be surprised by such emboldened statement and ask me if I am well. I am. It is not that I am not what I obviously am, it is that I am more than what I seem to be.

Something that has surprised me in the last couple of years is the amount of sectioning, labelling and categorising that arose in society. And don’t get me wrong, I understand why, a concept without a name ultimately does not exist. But I cannot help but think it somewhat defeats the ultimate goal of all these “new” ways of being which is to accept people as they are regardless of where’s, what’s and why’s.

I thought it was evident and self-explanatory people deserve love and respect because they are people. Humans. Living and breathing persons. The somebody’s 9-months.

Is it that hard to understand?

And just as we were all born and shall all die, there is no difference in what we should or shouldn’t be able to achieve.

And I already know what that you behind your screen want to say: how come being x, y, ε, or whatever else could change one’s humanity? Just as much as giving people new titles might make them feel seen, it erases what they were before. I often think of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who said that she was never black before she went to the USA, she was a person. But as she stepped out of that plane, her humanity was forgotten, replaced by a new sense of self, which although true does not say the full story of who she is as a PERSON.

If you feel like taking that principle to the test: type down “best athletes of all time”. Overall what you’ll find are Men, White, Nationals (not 1st gen immigrants), from Western countries. Then type best female athletes of all time and you realise there is so much more variety. Surprising isn’t it since as far as I recall, athlete is a gender-neutral word. If choosing tennis, do you know who has the most single Grand Slam wins? No, it is not Novak Djokovic with 23 by June 2023 or Serena Williams with 23 by January 2017 but Margaret Smith Court with 24 by 1973 but you won’t find her name unless you look for her -in the women’s ranking-. How crazy is that[1].                    You can play games like this not only in sports but with writers, artists and politicians (those are all gender-neutral 😉) and you’ll get the same results. And again the point is not that you cannot have an xxx-only ranking, they are useful as well, but if we are just talking about capacities why is it feature dependent? If you’re the best of the best, meaning better than anyone, it means better than EVERYONE else.

Forcing categorisation ultimately diminishes people’s achievements and hides how incredible they are.

But it is not only a problem for “outstanding” beings, do you imagine being a diversity hire? Dreadful. Knowing you are there not because you are capable or the best choice but because you serve a purpose. The main thing they like about you is your difference. And even if it is a “positive” aspect of categorisation isn’t it better to be chosen for what you got and on the side being young, black, gay, trans or old? I think it is.

While all the examples I gave are ultimately harmless, there are numerous cases where it can play to dangerous disfavour for people, the most stringent cases are when talking of immigration. Do you realise the number of war-stricken areas in the world, yet how many of these people were given as much appropriate care and attention as when the Russian-Ukrainian war started? Not many, if none. And I am not coming up with it; presidents, journalists, and writers all said something along the line of they are like us, the others are different. Yet when shot, we all bleed red. Ukrainian or Congolese.

I guess this entry is not much of an argument but a plea to you all, for you to look at people’s hearts.

So to finish up on a lighter note, if I ever do something great and my gender, age, ethnicity, race, or nationality is not relevant. Just don’t add it. Maybe I am better than some old bitter man.

[1] Plus she birthed babies, yes plural, and kept winning. Not to diminish Serena in any way but she didn’t win after giving birth to Olympia.