27 Things You Had To Deal With As The Only Black Kid In Your Class

[93tilinfinity]

- How come you don't "act more black"

Now that I'm older, I just hit them with "How does one act black?"

Then I grin and wait.

so much truth in this thread/ list. i won't lie though, it's kinda comforting to know that i'm not the only one who goes through this ignorant crap.

my parents are sierra leonean. i'm creole but i didn't grow up in that african-american culture that so many of my peers did. therefore, i "spoke differently", "acted differently", etc. people just aren't used to the fact that not all black people are the same, sad as it is to say.

you'd be surprised by the audacity of a lot of these kids man. i remember that "oreo" joke all too well.

"you act SO white, your jeans don't sag enough!"

"you just used the word 'quintessential'?!?! you don't act BLACK!

"what do you mean your t-shirt isn't a XXXXL even though you're only 5'8" and skinny?!?! you are such an OREO!"

 etc, etc... just pity and laugh at their ignorance, while your "whiteness" takes you far in life. don't let it phase you.

 

[93tilinfinity]

This must be a black male thing, I'm usually the only black female in my class and I've never experienced any of this expect the hair thing. Maybe white people are just afraid of black women  

bingo.

don't even get me started about the hair touching. white kids acting a damb fool as if they're at a petting zoo. 

 

 

[adobecs4]

I was told yesterday by a friend who is mixed. "You don't even act like a black person. You watch NASCAR, baseball, and don't sound ghetto.". Didn't even get mad. Calmly walked away laughing at his ignorance. It's amazing how living in the burbs will brainwash people.

 

[rell826]

EXACTLY how I felt on that food line. Don't want to enforce those stereotypes. Everyone looking to see if you'll pick up the chicken.

And I have been asked if I was an athlete three times. Twice by professors and once by some kid in the library. I wanted to knock his head off of his shoulders because of the smugness in his voice. I was wearing UConn basketball shorts. Why would I do that at Cuse of all places if I was on the team?

 

[8pm at msg]

I didn't have this experience until I got into college. It didn't happen to me as often as it would if I was younger but there were definitely moments

- "How did you get those rings in your hair?"
- "Bro you look like (insert random well-known black person here)"
- "Where you from?" Me: The Bronx "Wow, you've must've seen some things then huh?!"

I try not to get too mad because sometimes it's just a lack of interaction with other cultures. But whenever there was any fool who thought they could let slick ish slide I checked them quick. Sometimes though you just gotta keep it movin, there's more important things than wasting time with fools.

 

[ao17]

I can attest to the hair predicament. When I had an afro in high school, most of my female white classmates voluntarily picked my fro.

 

[sreggie101]

i get the whitest black person still...

*shrug* i snowboard, like NPR, am an engineer, have a lot of white friends (more asian tho)...my gf is white.

ive also gotten "you aren't what i expected being from queens"


idc tho...

 

[CJ616]

"You on the football/basketball team?"

This one is the worst. I'm out of college now, but when I tell older white dudes what school I went to, the first thing they ask is if I played a sport

 

[lyonbc1]

"You on the football/basketball team?"

This one is the worst. I'm out of college now, but when I tell older white dudes what school I went to, the first thing they ask is if I played a sport

When I got hit with that one and told them I actually played hockey the looks were priceless

But that list is so so accurate, going to a white school had to deal with that alllll the time....my AP History teacher actually spoke to me after class one saying "Hey if you get uncomfortable when we get to slavery please let me know, because we will be spending a significant part of the next couple weeks on it"

 

[iYen]

"You on the football/basketball team?"

This one is the worst. I'm out of college now, but when I tell older white dudes what school I went to, the first thing they ask is if I played a sport

When I got hit with that one and told them I actually played hockey

the looks were priceless

But that list is so so accurate, going to a white school had to deal with that alllll the time....my AP History teacher actually spoke to me after class one saying "Hey if you get uncomfortable when we get to slavery please let me know, because we will be spending a significant part of the next couple weeks on it"

This is what my grade school teacher did.

I was thinking like "***** you bringing it up is only going to make it more awkward."

 

[iYen]

  And the thing about fried chicken is incredibly true . . .Show me a man of any race that doesn't eat fried chicken, and I'll show youa lyin @ss fool!!
 

2. People told you you "sounded white."



This is often coded as a compliment, i.e., so-and-so is "eloquent"/"articulate"/etc.

I honestly don't think that that's what they mean.

I think they mean you sound normal ie white.

White is normal to them so when a black person doesn't fit their stereotype.

They start weebaying.

 

[gllahone84]

It really boils down to some whites having this innate superiority complex in their interactions with those they consider minorities. 

One of the main reasons that I don't do the token black guy thing at parties or any other social gathering that is not school or work related. In cases as such, I've had to play that role because it was paramount for survival.But honestly, I'm not there to play a role so a few can satisfy their curiosity about hanging with someone of ethnicity. 

Not all whites are like that, but a great deal in my high school were. 

 

[oidreez]

a lot of the comments about acting/talking white came from other black people more in my experience

 

[Sir chief a lot]

When I went to use the restroom all the white dudes tryin to see my bbc.

........

........

 

[$tacy]

I went to a bball program at michigan state university yearssss ago. When I said I was from detroit all the white kids were asking crazy questions. Have I ever been shot/robbed? Whats the craziest thing I ever saw? Have I ever sold/done drugs? It was crazy

 

[frshstunna]

Only time I was the only black kid in my class was in high school...the only thing i used to get was everybody thought that EVERY black person at that school was there just because of sports..i was like damn, black people cant just be smart or go to a good academic school too?

or the time my guidance counselor kept asking me why i didn't apply to any local HBCU's yet

 

[mastamind89]

Let me add to number 21.

"How do you get your hair like that? Do you cut them into your hair?"
This is in reference to having waves.

And in the past....you should grow out an afro or get "cornrolls"?
Wait...you don't like watermelon?
When you're with some people at KFC/Popeye's and they give that grin. Soon followed by too bad they don't have koolaid here, am i right or what?

 

[faulkit28]

Oh yeah I forgot the whole black people sun tan theory. I went to d.r. for winter break and came back extra burnt. The school I went to didn't know what to think. They were amazed.

 

[T Lo Sweater]

number 13 **** that ****

teacher passed out a book. on the cover was a boy slave. so skinny, shackles on, he just looks so scared

******g dude in class was like hey look its troy -__________________-


or another time we were going over homework and each person provided an answer. of course i get the answer with slavery as the question

some guy was like wow that worked out perfectly

 

[truseone]

I  can relate to some of the things discussed in here. However,  I was the angry  kid, who wrote essays on colonialism, Franz Fanon and  Patrice Lumumba. I think a lot of the white kids in my school thought I was crazy,  so I never experienced a lot of fukkery.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Or when white people rub your hair in the opposite (back) direction.........

 

[T Lo Sweater]

Or when white people rub your hair in the opposite (back) direction.........

people in general. esp when you have waves

 

[2 RAWW]

Way too much real life in that article.

One thing they definitely missed... White people ALWAYS change up the playlist when you get in their car. It will be on a country radio station and they will automatically throw some rap on. 

 

[ignorantmartian]

Way too much real life in that article.

One thing they definitely missed... White people ALWAYS change up the playlist when you get in their car. It will be on a country radio station and they will automatically throw some rap on. 

cosign

 

[lightweight champion]

If you spin the questions or scenarios this article could relate to just about all minorities. Thank goodness I was actually raised in a very diverse neighborhood so these incidents were few and far between (I'm Asian btw).

"Have you ever eat (insert meat that's NOT chicken, pork, or beef)?"
"No."

I don't blame them, though. They don't know any better so they're trying to see if what they're taught is true. I blame their parents for ingraining some dumb*** stereotypes.

And to the guy who really doesn't like watermelon

[chapelle] If you don't like chicken and watermelon...something is wrong with YOU m*********! There's something wrong with you! [/chapelle]