You Do You, Stacey Dash

In January and on national television Stacey Dash said that we should do away with Black History Month and the BET Awards. A lot of people were upset. Black people of the Internet threatened to take away her black card and Gabrielle Union literally denied her existence.

I don’t agree with Stacey’s view of race relations or of the world, as Black History Month and networks like BET were established because black people (and people of color in general) have been shut out of history books and have continuously been denied the right to tell their own stories. But so what if I did?

As much as you and I are entitled to our opinions and perspectives and essentially, our personhood, so is Stacey Dash. She is entitled to her blackness, whatever that may be. When you really think about it, being black is a grand social construction, historically devised to separate and isolate the darker skinned, regardless of national origin or heritage. There is no standard of blackness that Stacey is obliged to live up to, nor anyone for that matter.

Late last year Raven Symone also made some unpopular comments on The View — a show that she is on precisely to share her point of view — and she faced Twitter feeds full of backlash. Despite how much I enjoyed the reaction videos and memes, the girl is entitled to (and paid for) her opinion. Being black in America is a varied experience and I 100% take issue with anyone who attempts to revoke someone’s imaginary “black card” because they don’t like what they have to say. While I still don’t understand Stacey’s surprise appearance at the Oscars over the weekend, or why she would subject herself to the to-be-expected ridicule, her blog post spoke to me.

So she’s on Fox News, she’s openly conservative, and she doesn’t understand the meaning of a joke. I get it; she’s making us “look bad.” We still live in a world where (if you’re not white), one person that looks like you on television or in media effectively represents your entire race. But Stacey Dash doesn’t live for you or to be your idea of blackness. She is who she is and frankly, I’m soooooooo tired of the narrative there is only one acceptable way to be black. I don’t agree with you, but I feel you Stacey.

#unapologeticallyblack