Would you ever say that a person is not "black" enough?

Question

I have seen many light-skinned african american people being called not black enough.

Examples are when vanessa williams won miss America the african american "commitee" told her that her win was nothing to celebrate in the black comunity because she was not "black" enough.
That was a while ago though.....
Recently Halle Berry won an Academy Award for best actress and many african american people said that it didn't matter to them because, like williams, she wasn't "black" enough.

My questions are:
Would you ever say that a person is not "black" enough?
Why?
Why would they not be "black" enough?
(skin color?,behavior?)
What would qualify that person as being "black"?

black=african american....

I agree that it does sound racist and I'm just surprised that people would be racist against their own race.

I see people answering that this is rubbish but then writing in their answer that Halle Berry is not black. Though she is bi-racial she is still black, just as much as she is whatever else.

Does this not prove that people really do still measure your level of cultural and appearance wise "blackness"?

Answer 1

Being "black enough" usually refers to behavior and is simple racism.

Answer 2

I think it has to do with the Brown Paper Bag Syndrome, and maybe even from slavery? The Brown Paper Bag Syndrome, as I like to call it, is when African American people dis like each other, because one is either darker or lighter than them. Back in the day, there used to be social clubs, that wouldn't let any African American in that was darker than a Brown Paper Bag. African Americans ran these social clubs and were excluding darker people. So there is the divide. I say slavery also because the lighter slaves were usually accepted in the house, and did mostly the house work, while the darker skinned slaves worked the fields, there is the other divide. People may not want to admit it but, a lot of people were raised with these values, on skin color, no matter how out dated the origins are.

Answer 3

I believe white people are for some reason going through a new phase and redefining their previous definitions of black people. They have had the "one drop rule" and used it to differentiate people regardless of how these people looked on the outside. As long as you had a drop you were black. Now some blacks are still experiencing and displaying the pain from memories of how lighter skinned blacks were treated better and could even live in the main house and not work the fields like the darker ones had to. Lighter skin meant better opportunities and fairer treatment (and still does to some extent if I may be honest). I hope that one day African Americans will find a way of putting the pain of that human degradation (to be constantly told you were inferior not just in yourself but in comparison to someone else) behind them.

Answer 4

No, I would never say that but it is said all the time in our society. When the phrase is used it usually has more to do with a persons views than their skin color. For example Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (dark skinned) is called "Uncle Tom" among many other names because of his views, while former Supreme Court Justice Thurogood Marshall (light skinned) would have never been accused of not being black enough. Former professional football player, Jim Brown who is considered "pro-black" would probably say that Michael Jordan is not black enough because he does not speak out on issues that affect the black community. Yes, this phrase is still used in our society today and it is a form of self hate. The phrase itself was born of ignorance and ignorance is not relegated to the black community. Don't forget Adolph Hitler wanted to exterminate people who looked just like him, so that he could create a master race to take over the world. Ignorance and self hate touches every race.

Answer 5

Never would I say that. I like all the colors of African American people. None of them had anything to do with the color brown or black that they are. They can't change it.
I didn't know that they had to qualify anything about being black. You can see that some are much darker black than others. It's in their genes.
Why are you asking all these degrees of being black?
People who make judgment comments of light brown and black black; don't have anything else to do. There's nothing that can be done about it. God made everybody the way He wanted us to be and that is a special gift from God.
There are many beautiful colors that all of them can wear. They also look great in white clothes.

Answer 6

To me the whole notion of "not being black enough" is DAMN stupid! I am Afr-Amer and all my life I was made fun of because they felt I wasn't black enough! Yes, I grew up in predominantly white neighborhoods, yes, I went to predominantly white schools, and yes, I may not sound or talk like the stereotypical "black person", BUT my skin color will never ever change. I LOVE my beautiful black skin! I know who I am and where I came from,those people that say I'm not black enough, don't know me, PERIOD. Those black people that say Halle Berry isn't black enough need to lay the f$#@ off. Who do they think they are? She knows who she is and therefore she embraces herself fo For crying out loud, who are these people?

Answer 7

You can't say that someone isn't "black enough" just because of the tone of their skin. There are no qualifictions to being black because if your black your black. I have a friend who is african american and she is probably the best friend I have ever had. But not once has anyone said, "your not black enough" because she hangs out with someone thats white.

Your race is your race and nobody can tell you what race you are.

Answer 8

No, that's stupid.

Because most people who say that are so far out of touch with Black culture, it's not even funny. It's hypocritical. Also, it's just a really tacky thing to say.

It's more a behavior thing. People tend to claim that people are not black enough because they speak properly, dress differently, or because they don't act "ghetto." Even more so, people tend to claim that people aren't 'black' enough when they become successful, just as you've mentioned with Vanessa Williams, and with Barack Obama.

To me, being Black is having African ancestry and/or dark skin. Someone's 'blackness' should be measured in how well they handle everything that comes with it. Are they proud of who they are, or are they ashamed? Do they embrace it, or do they try and avoid it?

Some of the main ones shouting down someone for not being 'black' enough are the same ones who will shout someone down because their skin is too dark, or wear that same nappy weave on top of their heads for 5 months and more, because they don't want anyone to see their 'bad, nappy hair' until they can get a perm and make it look like someone else's. It's sad; the standard of 'blackness' seems to have changed from one of self-love to one of acting stupid and ignorant.

Answer 9

Halle Berry has a White mother.And Vanessa Williams has blue eyes & light skin.That's probably why they weren't considered black enough by some black people.And no I would never say that a person isn't black enough.That's because I'm not black at all.There are some people who are racist against their own race or ethnicity.There are divisions among black people, light-skinned & dark-skinned.And there are some White liberals who always defend minorities at the expense of other White people, like supporting affirmative action.

Answer 10

I do recall hearing that about Vanessa Williams, but I do not recall hearing that about Halle Berry. But to answer your question, no, I would never tell another black person that they aren't black enough for anything. One drop of a black blood is the indicator for who is black and who isn't, and that indicator is a product of the US Government, and pretty much everyone uses it.

Answer 11

It's a stupid term based on the behavior of an african american. Many people base one's blackness on stereotypes. Like for example black women are suppose to be loud, and butcher english. Some do some don't but if there was a black woman that speaks proper english and dresses slightly conservative, well then she might be called "white" or something to that effect. Music is also a factor. Basically in order to be "black" you have to listen to hip-hop,rap, r&b, or something to that effect. People might call me "white" because I listen to just about everything ( rap, rock, alternative,indie,heavy metal, techno, old r&b, ...I could go on but I won't). Basically this is all stupid and I choose not to follow this dumb stereotypical crap.