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RACE + ACCEPTANCE
Stop It. No One Can Take Your Black Card, But You Can Give It Away
Unpacking the fallacy that other people decide who you are
As a Black woman, I sometimes get bombarded with these conversations from mixed-race people who say someone tried to take away their Black card. But, first and foremost, I must say — stop it. Cut it out right now because you know good and well that no one can take away your Black card. Sure, someone can walk up to you, look you up and down and say, "no. you're not Black." But, them saying so does not actually take away anything from you. So, let's break it down.
Like many of you, I grew up watching Raven-Symoné on the Disney channel. My friends and I thought we were watching a show starring a Black girl, someone we could relate to. So, imagine our surprise when Raven-Symoné grew up and said she doesn't consider herself African American. She takes offense to someone calling her that. From the outside looking in, I would assume she was Black. But, that doesn't mean she internalizes that she is a Black person.
Yet, we will come across folks more light-skinned than Raven who are fighting for acceptance. They want Black people to acknowledge their Blackness, but we can't force every single Black person on earth to get on the same page…
