Stop looking at Black people to speak for all Black people

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As a Black woman who has spent most of her life before coming to Syracuse University living in predominantly white spaces, I am no stranger to being one of the few Black people in almost any setting I enter.

Whether it be my classes, sports teams or the clubs and organizations I am a part of, it is rare that I see someone else that looks like me. Because of this, I have endless lists of uncomfortable experiences in which everyone looks towards me to see what I think or what I will do.

In elementary school, the other campers at summer camp looked around asking if I should be the one to have the Black doll because “she looked like me”.

My neighbors at our annual Christmas Party thought it was acceptable to tell me how unique my family is for a Black family because my dad was present and had “a nice job”.

Everyone in my middle school English class whipped their heads to look back at me as my teacher reached the pages detailing racial slurs in To Kill a Mockingbird to see my reaction or what I had to say.

My local YMCA reached out to only me, the one Black girl, once the volleyball season ended and asked me to sign up for basketball because they believed someone like me would have an interest in the sport.

Students from my high school’s media team and newspaper begged me to pose during my sophomore year for the school’s weekly newsletter and magazine to attract a “more diverse” incoming freshman class.

The list of these stories could go on forever. When I shared these stories with my peers as I entered my later years of high school and came to college, I thought that perhaps this was the forgivable ignorance of non-Black children who meant no harm at all. But it is not only ignorant youth.

It is everyone, from my classmates, my professors, my coworkers, to my peers and friends and almost everyone in between. For the sake of being inclusive, everywhere I turn I am being asked for my opinion and what resources or suggestions I have or essentially, “What do you — Black people — think?”

I am sick of it.

Black people are not a monolith or a token and one person from the community cannot and should not be looked at to think for or represent all Black people, yet we are constantly looked at to do so. Especially as not every Black person agrees on every topic. What I might think is not okay could be completely different from someone else.

The more this continues, the more harmful stereotypes occur. These lead to sometimes harmful misconceptions, as we do not all have the same lived experiences. While it is important to listen and learn from the experiences of Black people, turning towards the one Black person you know is not okay.

For the past couple of semesters at SU, around Black History Month, Juneteenth or any major celebratory event for Black people, I receive a text or email from someone asking for resources, suggestions or opinions as if I am supposed to know the answer to everything or speak for those who happen to share a skin tone with me. This typically occurs when someone wants to post on social media and look to me instead of using the Internet to find their own answers.

I was asked what I think about the wording on a post about Black Lives Matter.

I was asked if I could help out on a post celebrating Black History Month for an organization I am not even in.

I was asked what Black students were thinking during #NotAgainSU, an event that occurred before I was even a student at SU.

Maybe people ask me these things because a part of me wants Black voices and stories to be recognized and this often feels like the only way, but I am done. You can do your own research and educate yourself this time, because it is now 2023 and non-Black people’s ignorance must end. For those at SU, we are lucky enough to have an extensive African American studies program with renowned professors to answer questions for you. A quick Google search can also do half the job.

In other words, look beyond the Black people in your life and find your own answers, because it is not my job or any Black person’s responsibility to educate you or speak for us all.

While non-Black people should do their own research and educate themselves, they should not stop there. Non-Black people must support Black people in all efforts for equity. Learning a couple of facts or key figures is not enough. Look into supporting local Black businesses, speaking up but not over Black people and providing Black people with the platform when we need it, not when you need it.

Kaitlyn Paige is a sophomore studying Communication & Rhetorical Studies. She can be reached at kipaige@syr.edu.