A couple months ago, a fellow brown-skinned black woman in media casually told me black people don’t have sex. Well, technically, she said: “Your site’s not really a site about black issues.” I write about sex, dating, relationships and other stuff. My recent posts cover topics like to breed or not to breed, birth control and recommendations for top-selling dating books (including Steve Harvey’s Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man). So, if talking about that stuff means my site’s “not black” that’s like saying “black sites” and “sex sites” are mutually exclusive — i.e. black people don’t have sex. No one told my vagina the news!! :)
It’s been said, “[b]lack is not just a skin color; it’s a quality of voice.” Tony Award-winning performer Sarah Jones and linguist John McWhorter talk about this topic further on PRI & WNYC’s “Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen” clip below. (Produced by Studio 360′s Derek John.)
Audio URL: http://audio.wnyc.org/studio/studio102408c.mp3
Nearly four years ago, I launched my site and named it Funky Brown Chick. I might move to a different city, switch up my profession or make other changes in my life, but three things will always stay the same. I’m always going to be funky. Before I was born, the word for people who looked like me morphed from “colored” to “black.” Lately, it’s African American. And, it likely the name will change again. Nevertheless, I’m always going to have brown skin. And, I’m always going to be “chicky.” I’ve been a funky brown chick since birth. I’ll still be a funky brown chick in the future.
No one needs to tell me I’m black because I already know that. So, here’s a wacky concept: It’s quite possible the sound of one’s voice — just as their chosen profession (e.g. sex/relationship writing) — doesn’t always clue you in about the person’s internal views about self-identity. Here’s an even MORE insane thought: Why don’t we agree all people are allowed to speak, write about topics, think and act as they please — no matter what they look like. I know, I know. It’s a downright kooky idea. Just saying.
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Hear my voice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0l9Z0f4fqI
Related book: Not a Genuine Black Man: Or, How I Claimed My Piece of Ground in the Lily-White Suburbs
