What Happens When you Run an Ebay Auction for Your Blackness?
What does it mean to be an embodied subject engaging in a virtual space? This is the question posed by artist Mendi and Keith Obadike in an art installation aptly titled Blackness for Sale.
On August 8, 2001, Keith Obadike placed an ad on eBay attempting to auction off his Blackness. It was one of the first internet postings to go viral, but within four days eBay took the auction down citing its “inappropriateness”. It was the Obadike’s aim to address the many ways blackness has been commodified — alluding to similarities to that of a slave auction- and how it is seen often as a vague concept separate from the black body. They sought to use art as a means of navigating the fairly new terrains of the internet, which was becoming a culture in itself with many problematic elements.
“We were interested in how this concept of Blackness (not Keith’s physical image) mapped onto the internet. In our eBay sale we list the location for the item being sold as ‘the conceptual landscape’. I think we all understand that Blackness is a concept that gets applied to certain bodies and things, no matter what they actually look like,” says Mendi Obadike.
The ad presents the many benefits of obtaining blackness with a comical, but very real, slant by stating ”This Blackness may be used for gaining access to exclusive, ‘high risk’ neighborhoods.” “This Blackness may be used for securing the right to use the terms ‘sista’, ‘brotha’, or ‘nigga’ in reference to black people. (Be sure to have certificate of authenticity on hand when using option.)”
But there are also very stark warnings included as well, “The Seller does not recommend that this Blackness be used during legal proceedings of any sort.” The Seller does not recommend that this Blackness be used while voting in the United States or Florida.”
In the eighteen years since Blackness was created, the conversations on race and identity have grown much larger and centers many of the concepts presented. When asked about the progress of race relations now compared to then, Obadike offered, “the question of progress would depend on who the we is in this construction. We think those of us who were interested in discussions of embodied identity, race relations, gender, and sexuality have refined our language and understanding over these years. Political organizing and social justice work is thriving online. At the same time, the internet is still a hotbed for racism and the far-right. The dominant “social” platforms are part of the problem.”
This led me to the central question, and focus, most had about the ad: What is Blackness?
“That is a big question. Here is a short answer to the question. Blackness is a culture, a racial category, and a cypher. Much of what Blackness currently means gets worked out in language, the arts, law, politics, and media. Yes, it is always changing. That is part of its power,” Obadike submits.
About the Author: Zainab Karim is a Chicago-based culture writer and adjunct professor of English and Literature.
