The Black community has been diagnosed with what Afromerica has coined as the "First Black To" syndrome. When Thurgood Marshall became the "First Black To" sit on the Supreme Court, when Halle Berry became the "First Black [woman] To" win an Oscar, and when Oprah became the "First Black [woman] To" become a billionaire; in addition to the many "First Black To" historical biographies, we beg the question, is this commemoration suppose to measure the success of Blacks and/or minimize the shame of racial oppression?

Civil Rights activist are good at monitoring the number of Blacks on various company payrolls, positions of importance, and public appearances. They fight eye-for-eye with business, educational, and entertainment industries for equal opportunities for Blacks and measure success on the number of Blacks in those venues. When at one time no Blacks were seen in either of these segments except for a token few, Civil Rights activist set fourth to get at least one in and afterward would rejoice when one did.

Now days, a certain number of Blacks in any entity would make activist happy, but what is that number? Is it 5% 10% or 50%, and does the ratio of number of years of progress to percentage of Black occupancy a determinant of how well we are doing or whether racial oppression is waning, which raises the old-age question of how many Blacks in successful positions does it take to satisfy a Civil Rights activist? The answer to this question is one that the Civil Rights crowd has yet to answer nor have they given a set quota for completion, thus white America will never know when they are not being racist.

It also begs the question, should there be such a quota for Blacks or should not Blacks automatically blend into mainstream society like everyone else.

The Civil Rights crowd has a legitimate argument because if it were not for racial discrimination, there would be no need for Civil Rights activism. As long as there is a lack of Black representation in any sector of society, or a lack of Black owned industries, there will be a demand to let them in or at least a question as to why they are not in already.

As opposed to Black conservatives who believe that racial discrimination is not a hindrance in America and that Blacks have just as much opportunity to success as anyone else, the Civil Rights crowd recognizes racism and a racist when they see or smell one, whereas, a Black conservative would rather not see the racism or discrimination going on, but this is only because they have carved out a position in American society for themselves as a person, yet not as a Black person. Which brings us to our point.

When a Black person has succeeded in America society, how Black are they? Let us examine.

Removing the Culture
According to the new standards of American society, in order for a Black person to succeed in America, they have to first conform. A person's name matters now days. Jamal or Tanika have become suspect on resumes and loan applications. Area codes, zip codes and social security numbers are demographically mapped and screened by employers, banks, and realtors. And because America operates by a caste system, this makes it easier to identify whose whom.

However, if a Black person can escape the primary screening process by residing in a whiter area, they have shed a level of Blackness already. They have left the confines of the Black community, opportunities to educate or act as role models for younger Blacks in order to present themselves more acceptable to whites and to qualify for any future success.

If a Black person decides to remain in the Black community and make a living, they forfeit all the benefits of corporate and or mainstream bank funding to struggle with the elements of inner-city income levels, which is not as much as suburban income. They also struggle with the elements of more crime, dysfunctional families, and educational institutions, which mean less skills to develop.

Furthermore, once a Black person enters the corporate or suburban environment, they must then adapt to the language and lifestyle, which means again, shedding a level of the Black culture. Their concerns change from helping develop the Black community to adding to and developing the white community.

For instance, when Blacks become news anchors or television spokespersons for reputable organizations or for the government, they do not speak on behalf of the needs of Blacks or even maintain agendas that would help the Black communities they themselves came from, but they now follow and present agendas that serve mostly white America based on the concepts of white America from white universities and businesses. What is needed for the Black community or for Black individuals to better themselves is not the focus any longer.

Change from Within
Black police chiefs, mayors, and congress people for instance, are not in a position to fight for the low-income people of so-and-so housing projects or the elementary school on the corner that has fallen below state standards, because the agendas of white suburban areas and schools are priority on policy-maker's list and there is little these Black leaders can do to change that agenda. So, again, how Black are they?

A Black woman or man can attend a Black college and dedicate themselves to the struggle on campus and off, but when they graduate and enter the corporate world where they have to interact with whites, if they want to succeed in that environment, they have to shed their Blackness and their agenda to do so because no white organization is going to tolerate a Black man or woman speaking about why their old neighborhood is the way it is or why half of the people they know and grew up with are in prisons or rehab centers because of drugs being shipped into inner-cities.

No way could Colin Powell, Condelezza Rice, or any Black appointed official push an agenda that would change the increase of Blacks in the prison system or the rate of drugs coming into the Black community, or even the level of racial profiling in Black communities. Their agenda is 'whites only' and only grassroots organizations can understand what happens at the ground level of Black communities. So again, how Black are they?

Paid to be Black
Now, there are the famous Black entertainers who have not completely conformed to white culture and they hold on to a level of Blackness that set trends for the Black community, however, many of these entertainers are actually paid to be Black. They look and act the part but as far as bringing the problems of the Black community to the table to force change, they have little power.

They can however, as stated earlier, set trends, yet the trends they set they have no control over because producers of record labels and movies demand a certain quality of Blackness to be presented to the public and therefore these actors and entertainers have to deliver that level of Blackness or face ostracism from the entertainment business. Athletes, actors, rappers, and singers all have to maintain a paid level of Blackness to survive in the industry.

Poor schools in the Black community remain under-funded, high prison rates for Black men continue to rise, economic struggles of single Black women persist, Black child poverty continue, and these same stereotypes are continually fed by the Black entertainers who are paid to be Black. And the cycle continues.

Even if one or two of these entertainers were to become original in thought and decide to produce something positive for the Black community, young boys and girls, production companies will only promote it to a certain extent and in order to maintain a level of profits, they promote what they believe are potential money makers, which is usually stereotypical images of Blacks in America. So all in all, when paid to be Black, how Black are they?

Intellectual Shedding
Intellectuals of the Black community are those who refuse to identify with Black culture and criticize anyone trying to improve it. They willingly shed their Blackness because they believe assimilation is easier and better for Blacks in America. They blame Black America's problems on Blacks who refuse to assimilate proclaiming that they have those problems as a result of not assimilating. In order words, if one does not act Black they will not be perceived as Black, thus they will do better.

These people close their eyes to any forms of racism and believe that racism no longer exist despite any recent events. If they ever acknowledge racism or a racist act, they search hard for an excuse on the part of the racist and to place blame on the victim. They will never voice their concerns for what they know to be true but they are quick to voice against the shortcomings of Blacks.

They feel comfortable around whites and every act, accomplishment, or goal they set for themselves is to please the whites in their immediate presence. They abhor and are embarrassed by the ghetto Black and do everything possible not to sound, look, dress like, or do anything that would remotely resemble the Black ghettoite.

They absorb western academic knowledge deep into their psyche and apply it to life and to the problems of Black America unaware that the solutions put forth are not ones that will solve the problems, but only make them worse. They have lost their sense of common or simple street knowledge and walk according to book direction basing all their knowledge of the world around them on statistics. How Black are they?

Conclusion
The idea is to undermine and destroy all areas of Black culture, starting from Africa to the deep south traditions and beliefs systems of Blacks and ending with the lifestyles, characteristics, and behaviors of the inner-city Black person. Once a people of pure African descent, Black America is now a distorted shell of a people screened and purged by white society.

It has become a social negative to believe in Black progress, independence, pride or development let alone to search out any historical roots back to the motherland. It is frowned upon to stand up and fight against the racism that continues in American society or to provide viable proof of that racism in an effort to end it or at least bring it to light for discussion or possible elimination.

White America refuses to acknowledge the practices they use against Blacks; and those Blacks who have willingly shed their Blackness work on behalf of whites to undermine anything Black and positive, but are more willing to condemn Black behavior without attributing the reasons for the behavior to the root causes, which is systematic racism and discrimination.

Those Blacks who understand what it means to shed Blackness for the sake of survival in America should also understand that there is a middle ground. One can maintain their Blackness and teach it to their children and still succeed in America, however, it requires leading a double life. But if you are revealed, do one thing for the future of the Black community. Instead of becoming the "First Black To," simply be the next one to Stay Black and Die.

© August 2006 By CR Hamilton