On The CHE‘s Reinforcement Of Suspicion Of Black Academia

May 22nd, 2012 by Guest Contributor

PoC are constantly expected to be emotional midwives to white people. Attempts to claim space or identity for ourselves–without deference to whiteness–are inevitably met with suspicion, anger, fear, and guilt (witness white anger over the President’s racial self-identification). We’re expected to have a conversation on race and racism that centers and assuages white emotions, to speak about race in terms and frameworks that are neither by, for, or ultimately about us. What little space we’re afforded in mainstream media is taken up with 101-level education, demands that we justify our existence, and prove the merit of our perspectives and accomplishments beyond the shadow of a doubt. White critics and, occasionally, other people of color, often feel a casual entitlement to pass judgment on PoC narratives of our own experiences, and on our scholarship, without putting in the effort to learn about or engage with either.

This episode highlights the need for POC scholars to create our own media platforms where they can make a positive case for the work they do. I confess to deep pessimism that there will be any substantive change in mainstream media when it comes to diversity; there are few incentives for such changes and little will or power to enact them. But more than that, in mainstream spaces POC are routinely forced to play rhetorical defense. We are in desperate need of spaces where we can define our lives and our work on our own terms.

T.F. Charlton is a writer and blogger at Barnacle Studios.

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Posted in academia, black, media, privilege | 15 comments

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  • JA

    One could argue that it’s appropriate to make an editorial decision to leave these scholars names out of the debate because in addition to the issue of the blindly racist content of Riley’s ridiculous piece (I say blindly because the topics she presented as absurd were the nothing of the sort — how can one consider studies of housing issues and midwifery unnecessary or even esoteric?), there was the cruelty of calling out young, vulnerable, job seeking, publisher courting scholars who don’t deserve the ridicule and have other things they need to focus their attention on.  If a rising academic has their profile raised because they present challenging ideas that is one thing, but Riley was just making fun of the titles of these pieces (and if those were the wildest titles and topics of the bunch, Black Studies may be the most conservative field in academia), so unless a follow-up piece involves actually reading all of their work and giving it a fair critique, I’m all for discussing this incident without focussing on the scholars being attacked.

  • Ladyguerita

     

     Great article! I go
    to this very liberal state University and I was talking about La Raza and how I
    wanted to join but I was  too busy with classes.
    The two men (both white) then talked about how La Raza was racist organization and
    how it unfair to white people. O.O    This was the same crowd that said, I that I
    hated my white side since I always tend to associate myself to Latino/people of
    color groups.  There sense that when we
    write, talk or discuss our experience people accuse us about race. I would also
    argue that our experiences are fetished and stereotyped. White people( not all
    but people  who are caught doing this are
    white) tend to lecture a person of color about their respected cultures, language,
    etc  or expect them to be a walking stereotype.
    We all know that if you are Black people assume you are poor, grew up on
    welfare, into hip- hop when you are a middle class who like hip- hop but also
    likes rock and had a Goth phased in high -school.  e.g., I am Latina
    and I know one girl who would lecture me on Mexican  food and culture and I then I told her I was
    aware of these dishes and that area of concentration in Anthropology was  Mexico and that I was a Mexican National.

  • KittyWrangler

    “Instead of focusing on the people Riley bullied, the media has allowed her to paint herself as a victim [...]”

    I’m curious what  “focusing on the people Riley bullied” means? When I see the media spotlight turned on the victims of attack lately– Sandra Fluke, Trayvon Martin and his family, others who have limited means of media access– it has been, itself, an invitation to further attack. I assume this isn’t what Charlton has in mind. I’d love to know more about how Charlton would have preferred the media to behave, since I am hoping there’s a clear way to shine a spotlight on a victim of bullying without it becoming an interrogation.

  • Anonymous

    Um, I would venture to say that what he means is that as usual, the suffering of the white woman who was being racist and dismissive of their work was made into the most important thing as opposed to the reputations of the doctoral students whose work she insulted.

    Too many conversations about white women’s racism devolves into  a discussion about how much the white woman’s feelings have been hurt when she is rightfully called out.  Privileged white woman are pretty high up the totem pole in this country.  They should not be beyond reproach when they mess up.

    It would be great if just one conversation about racism didn’t become a discussion about a white woman’s butthurt.  

    And to equate Riley’s “suffering” with Trayvon Martin is beyond insulting.  He is dead, and she will never be treated as he was, nor will be ever be subjected to unjust search, seizure, profiling, etc.

    I wouldn’t include Sandra Fluke precisely because everyone goes nuts if a single hair on a white woman’s head is insulted.  POC are not afforded that kind of protection by the media.

    This is one giant derail.  She has assaulted the powerless using a role that she is barely qualified for.  She has no doctorate but she can dissect dissertations that she didn’t bother to read?  And you, like so many others, take issue with that?

    I’d love for the media to focus on real victims, not racists whose feelings have been hurt for getting called out on their racism.  

    And I’m so tired of people trotting out their Black/Asian/other partners as proof that they are not racist.  Yes Virginia, you can sleep with a POC every night, have children who are POC and still be the biggest racist ever.

  • http://twitter.com/graceishuman Grace

    OP here. I’m not suggesting media interrogations of the students involved, but rather equal consideration – at least – of the professional and personal implications of this fiasco for them as the media has given Riley. There’s been endless handwringing over the loss of a minor position for Naomi Riley and little consideration of what it means for a graduate student to have their work in progress lampooned before a national audience. On top of that, the fact that Riley attacked graduate students by name should be part of basic reporting on the controversy. Much of the media coverage has failed to mention this, framing the original post only as an attack on Black Studies as a field. Beyond mention of that fact it would have been nice to see more journalists acknowledge that it’s highly unusual to single out graduate students, who are not established scholars and are still in the middle of their research and writing, for ridicule – and this was a huge part of why it sparked such a backlash in the first place. 
    These students are already in the spotlight and open to attack and interrogation; they might as well have an equal opportunity to put their perspective out there. I know Ta-Nehisi Coates has extended an invitation to them to write about their work on his blog, and Mark Anthony Neal/New Black Man just had LaTasha Levy on his Left of Black podcast to discuss Riley’s piece.

  • NK4

    My favorite writer about the history of racism in America is J Sakai. He didn’t come from academia and he writes in a clear way that anybody can understand but I have a feeling if white critics had ever heard of him they wouldn’t like him any better! I guess the pathbreaking scholarship from outside academia she likes are people like Huey Newton and Omali Yeshitela right? I’m sure that must be what she means.

  • KittyWrangler

     We must be having some sort of miscommunication. My comment begins with the assumption that what Riley did was racist and unprofessional, though I could have explicitly stated that, and at no point did I imply Riley is “suffering,” much less compare her suffering to Trayvon Martin’s, and yes, it would be insulting to do so. I’m not questioning why Charlton feels these grad students are being bullied, that is crystal clear to me. I noted that, lately, highlighting victims of bullies in the media, however dissimilar they may be, has led to further vicious attacks, and I asked what practical media strategies Charlton has in mind that don’t further open these students, simply because it would be a useful thing to know.

  • Anonymous

    Sorry, I have strong feelings about the topic and this wasn’t directed at you, just the frustration from the situation in general.  

  • Medusa

     I totally agree. This debate should center around Riley… I wouldn’t want these scholars to be associated with this piece of racist drivel. It would be totally unfair for them to be dragged into this (well, even more than they were already dragged into this by this shitty article) because of CHE’s apparent lack of discretion.

  • Medusa

     I totally agree. This debate should center around Riley… I wouldn’t want these scholars to be associated with this piece of racist drivel. It would be totally unfair for them to be dragged into this (well, even more than they were already dragged into this by this shitty article) because of CHE’s apparent lack of discretion.

  • KittyWrangler

     Oh, nevermind then! :)

  • http://twitter.com/Ellington3 Rhonda Yearwood

    Well said Cleo! Well said!
    Some people seem to think because they are married to or dating someone who is a person of colour, or if they are female, or a person of colour they are exempt from saying racist, and or sexist things.
    That kind of logic always astounds me.I remember once that I pointed out to a woman that what she was saying about another woman was rather misogynistic. She got upset and angry at me and then said “I CANNOT BE A MISOGYNIST! I AM A WOMAN!!”
     Sometimes it  is not to be believed the depths of the obtuse.

  • Anonymous

    “Emotional midwives” is a sublime term.

    So many white people see POC as sidekicks in whatever heroic white quest they see themselves on, and they see the world of POC as an empty stage for them to star on.

    Hey white people, it’s not always all about you.

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