By Lucy Gill
Behavioural racism is an issue that has in recent decades become quite prevalent in societies all around the world, yet is not discussed quite as often as other forms of racism. For those who don’t recognize the term, simply put, it means viewing a negative behavior or mannerism as a common trait of all people in a minority group. Behavioral racism might not always take the form you expect it to. One example of this is when black people perform exceptionally well in their field, and they’re celebrated, but not for the right reasons. They’re not celebrated for being talented, they’re celebrated for being an exception to the “common traits” of their race, which is really just a mask for the ugly truth that some people still view black people as inferior, and therefore it’s a miracle when a black person performs well. The truth is that there isn’t a lack of gifted black people, there are simply policies and barriers put in place, keeping black youth from discovering their full potential. To move towards an anti-racist society without racial inequities in almost every industry, we must stop treating talented black people as an exception, and begin creating more opportunities to uplift and strengthen all black youth.
I explore this idea of behavioral racism in my poem “Young, Gifted, and Black”, inspired by the Aretha Franklin song with the same title. I was particularly inspired by her lyric “You are young, gifted and black, we must begin to tell our young, There's a world waiting for you, yours is the quest that's just begun” The message that we must begin to encourage all black youth to see their power and their abilities is relevant to this day. I also added references to other black creators throughout the poem such as Tupac, with the line “The concrete rose”.
Young Gifted and Black
To be young, gifted and black
Ever the exception
An outlier to the system
Makes a statement, sends a message
Must be part of the talented tenth
To be young, gifted and black
The concrete rose that grows above her race
Blossoming within the ranks of weeds
Unless you’re gifted,
Learn your place
To be young, gifted and black
Brilliant artist on the rise
See the genius in her eyes
Her skin must be a disguise
Cause she’s just like you
To be young, gifted and black
Child of Africa become a teacher
a preacher to your people
To tell them that they to can be
Young, black and loved
If
They are gifted