Racial Illiterates
Definition
racial illiterate: a person who demonstrates the inability to see the humanity in Black, Indigenous, or People of Color.
Introduction
As I reflect on the 2024 United States presidential election, I along with numerous Americans, am trying to rationalize how and why Donald Trump was elected president for the second time. Some have concluded that his win was due to various “isms” and “phobias.” Others have suggested that economics played a role. I don’t think a person that filed for bankruptcy multiple times is good for the national economy, but who am I to judge? On second thought, I will judge because Trump has filed for another bankruptcy, but it’s not Chapter 11. This time, the President-elect’s second go-around in the “White” House is a moral bankruptcy on behalf of the 75 million people that voted for him. I don’t know the intentions of the tens of millions of people who voted for Trump but this I do know – a significant number of them are White racial illiterates who have turned the clock back on racial progress in the United States.
There have been three generations of racial illiterates that span from the antebellum period to the present. The first generation was during slavery; the second generation was during Jim Crow; and the third generation was inaugurated in the post-civil rights era. It’s important to note that the first and second generation believed that Black people were slaves and second-class citizens, respectively. Unlike their predecessors, the third generation have come to discover that Black people are neither slaves nor second-class citizens, though I'm starting to question if that's even true.
Nevertheless, they continue to argue that America is a meritocracy, and racial inequities are a byproduct of Black people lacking merit, a clear dog whistle for inferiority. This third generation of racial illiterates exhibits three characteristics that impede Black America’s desire for racial equity. First, racial illiterates believe their reality is the only reality because they live segregated lifestyles. Second, racial illiterates are unable to grasp counterfactual information about their reality because it threatens their identity. Third, racial illiterates are comfortable with racial inequity because they want to maintain their competitive advantage.
Point #1: Racial illiterates believe their reality is the only reality because they live segregated lifestyles.
If racial illiterates were raised in a household where their parents didn’t have a significant relationship with Black people, grew up in a neighborhood that was devoid of Black people, attended a school district that was predominantly non-Black, and now define Black people based on what they see in news media and on social media, they live a segregated lifestyle. Even if they were exposed to a sprinkle of Black people here and there and had that “one Black friend,” they’re still a racial illiterate. In case you weren’t aware, residential segregation is still an issue, and research has shown that we're more segregated than we were a generation ago. However, we’re segregated in ways that extend beyond our place of residence. A recent sociological study analyzed the geotagged locations of more than 133 million tweets by 375,000 Twitter users in the 50 largest U.S. cities between 2013 and 2015. The researchers found that people aren’t only segregated by where they live but that they’re also segregated by where they choose to eat, drink, and shop.
Sociologist Jennifer Candipan noted that “Most of us can sense that segregation is about more than where people live – it’s also about how they move.” The study included a Segregated Mobility Index [SMI] and found that the cities with the highest indexes or “segregated movement” had the largest Black population. The cities with the lowest indexes or “segregated movement” had the largest White population. If racial illiterates are more inclined to live, eat, drink, and shop around others who are racially illiterate, they live in a different world. They wouldn’t possibly be able to understand what it is like for Black Americans to be considered a problem or a threat in a country our ancestors built. Yet, racial illiterates use their experience as a reference point for all Americans because they can’t imagine a reality other than their own.
Point #2: Racial illiterates are unable to grasp counterfactual information about their reality because it threatens their identity.
Given that racial illiterates live segregated lifestyles and view their reality as the prevailing reality in the United States, they’re unable to grasp counterfactual information that challenges their worldview. In their estimation, this god-forsaken country has absolved itself from racism when that is far from the case. When people make valid claims about systemic racism, racial illiterates accuse them of playing “the race card,” but they never stop to consider why the card is in the deck. If the United States was willing to reshuffle the cards and give Black people a fair hand, there would be no need to play the race card. Racial illiterates have convinced themselves that the United States is a meritocracy, where everyone is given a fair chance to live the American Dream, irrespective of their identity. That argument is one of many falsehoods they’ve been programmed to believe.
I always wondered why racial illiterates so confidently dismiss information that’s inconsistent with their reality, but it all made sense when I came upon a 2016 study. The study used functional MRI (fMRI) scans to show how areas of the brain associated with personal identity and emotional responses to threats are activated when people with rigid political beliefs are presented with information that contradicts those beliefs. Psychologist Jonas Kaplan believed that these findings suggest that “To consider an alternative view, you would have to consider an alternative version of yourself.” I suspect the same areas in the brains of racial illiterates become activated when they’re given counterfactual information about the United States’ so-called meritocracy. They cannot fathom an alternative version of the United States because that would require them to re-configure the narrative of their own success.
Point #3: Racial illiterates validate the status quo because they want to maintain their competitive advantage.
Truth be told, it's hard for racial illiterates to embrace a world where there is racial equity because they don’t think Black people are as competent or capable as they are. Allow me to give you one example. During my first year of undergrad, one of my suitemates felt comfortable enough to share that he believed he hadn’t been admitted into his preferred school because of affirmative action. It’s important to note that this school’s current student population is 3% Black. I find it odd when racial illiterates blame the small percentage of Black people as the sole reason why their preferred school rejected them. These rationalizations imply that reputable colleges and universities are spaces reserved primarily for White students. One too many “Blacks” are a problem because their presence challenges the status quo.
I also see this logic playing out in the workplace given the backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI]. If a Black person is hired into a higher-wage position, racial illiterates question whether that person was hired because of their qualifications or identity. They disparage Black people by calling them “DEI hires” even when these so-called DEI hires are more qualified than those who get by on the good ol’ boy system. Racial illiterates don’t raise these questions when Black people are concentrated in low-wage positions or “Black jobs.” They have nothing to say when the security guard that greets them when they scan their badge is Black. They have nothing to say when the janitor that cleans their office is Black. They have nothing to say when the administrative assistant is Black. They have nothing to say when Black people are trapped in entry-level positions and feel forced to make lateral moves to increase their chances of promotion. They have nothing to say until there’s an effort, however weak, to level the playing field. DEI initiatives threaten the status quo, their privilege and therefore, their competitive advantage.
Conclusion
As I close, racial illiterates have prevented the United States from becoming a better version of itself since July 4, 1776. Each generation has operated in a different context, but they have all expressed staunch opposition to racial equity. I believe if third generation racial illiterates lived during slavery or Jim Crow, they too would have argued that Black people are slaves and second-class citizens. The difference between slavery, Jim Crow, and the post-civil rights era is the means toward maintaining racial inequity. First, they enslaved us. Next, they made us second-class citizens. Afterwards, they say we’re now equal, but they won’t pay us on the equity our ancestors built with their blood, sweat, and tears.
In other words, racial illiterates never believed in racial equity. They’re the original creators of FUBU (For Us by Us). The first- and second-generation racial illiterates were easier to identify because they wore their illiteracy like a badge of honor. This third generation of racial illiterates is something else. They hide their illiteracy by giving lip service to racial equity, but at the end of the day, they’ll fight tooth and nail to keep Black people down. It’s like the game of pool. The white ball is the “cue ball” that must knock all the colored balls in the pockets to win the game. However, a player cannot win the game until they properly pocket the black ball or “eight-ball.” It is for this reason that the phrase “behind the eight ball” has meaning beyond the game of pool. Racial illiterates don’t ever want to feel like they’re behind Black people. It scares the living hell out of them and makes them elect characters like Donald Trump who prey on their illiteracy.
~ One Negro, 11-17-24
Photo by Natilyn Photography on Unsplash