Eurweb.com, CA
Aug 2 2005
BETWEEN THE LINES: The Return Of ‘Negrophobia’: A 21st Century
Version Of A Two Century Old Vestige
By Anthony Asadullah Samad
E-mail to a friend | Printer friendly (August 2, 2005)
U.S. Secretary of State Condi Rice gets mad because her entourage is
not shown the diplomatic courtesies by a third world nation normally
afforded to “superpowers.” Billionaire Oprah Winfrey denied a late
night shopping trip often afforded superstar celebrities. The pastor
of 10,000 member Chicago church, and State Senator, Rev. James Meeks,
stopped by an Illinois State Trooper, only to have a gun drawn and
put to his head…An interesting number of occurrences that are
solely coincidental?
These events over the past few months bring to our attention why there
needs to be a greater focus on racial tolerance in our society…and
once again, African Americans are the litmus test for the return of
a form of xenophobic behavior called “Negrophobia.”
Negrophobia is an inherent fear, or dislike, of socializing with Blacks
that’s over 200 years old. Negrophobia is back with a vengeance. No
Black in the 21st Century is safe from it.
American society, since before its formation in 1787, had a resistance
to allowing Africans (and later, African Americans) in their social
spaces. Enslaved Africans were excluded from the company of Whites
(unless they were serving them) and even free Blacks were “distanced”
from white citizens and treated with cavalier, cold and occasionally
hostile attitudes for simply being wherever they were, that put them
in the proximity of white privilege. Protection of social spaces even
became a right in the 18th, 19th and 20th Century.
In the post-slavery era called Reconstruction, three amendments (the
13th, 14th and 15th) were put forward-not just to give the former
slave protection in the South, but to also protect Blacks migrating
to the North as racial animus toward migrant Blacks was rampant. They
even had a name for it-thus the genesis of the term, Negrophobia-and
two centuries of historical literature documenting its existence.
Though the Reconstruction Amendments were passed, Negrophobia never
completely went away. By 1877, it had resurrected itself and by 1896,
“Redemption Politics” had formalized America’s race caste policies; De
Jure (Separate But Equal) segregation in the South, and Ghettorization
(Restrictive Covenants) in the North. Civil Rights Icon, Andy Young,
in a King Center documentary, recalled differences in 20th Century
sectional race politics, stating that “In the South, they didn’t care
how close you got, as long as you didn’t get too big (in terms of
wealth and in challenging the status quo); In the North, they didn’t
care how big you got as long as you didn’t get too close.” The Ghettos
of America are a product of restrictive covenant policies that forced
migrating Blacks to live in constricted geographical areas away
from Whites. Thus, “Up South” is the moniker given to the North’s
(and the West) resurrection of Negrophobia.
Today’s Negrophobia is spreading like wildfire and can be found in
high end stores, hotels, vacation resorts, and high rise business
offices where panic sets in at the sight of Black people. If you
think this is overestimated, just show up somewhere and find out
how many times someone (usually security) wants to help you-but not
really help you, They just want to know why you’re there. Another
common place Negrophobia occurs is airports, where Blacks are likely
to get “bumped” without so much as an excuse me. “Bumping whites”
(brushing against, or not stepping off the sidewalk) used to be a
violation of the racial etiquette-the penalty being for the “uppity”
violator, jail, a beating or even a lynching. I get bumped at least
twice a trip, and I don’t want anybody to step off sidewalks-just an
“excuse me” will do. This is a phenomenon to be watched.
Negrophobia has gone global, when Michael Jackson gets perp-walked on
a trumped up case, Condi Rice’s contingent gets “handled,” Oprah gets
fronted off, or Rev. Meeks gets drawn on in front of his family. No
recognition of the authority or stature, and a fear of being confronted
by even Blacks of celebrity and notoriety.
Celebrity used to get people a pass on certain treatment. Not lately.
Now it’s about keeping Blacks “in their place”-no matter how big
one gets, or how close one gets. This treatment is no longer just
a white/black control issue. Other ethnicities are following their
lead. Many Asians and Armenians have severe cases of Negrophobia, and
while Latinos, en masse, don’t have it (yet), depending on who you’re
dealing with, you see some symptoms. Even some Black people are coming
up with Negrophobia. Black “Negrophobes,” some in their shying away
from their own people, others in their treatment of their own people
that’s worse than what Negrophobes of other ethnicities-considered the
most dangerous Blacks you can encounter because of their willingness
to prove a point in denying their own blackness. Like most diseases,
if you’re around it long enough, you’re either bound to catch-or
you’ll convince yourself you have it (psychosomatic). Black, Brown,
Yellow or White, the end game is the contempt for Blacks.
21st century Negrophobia is exacerbated by media portrayals,
film/television imagery, and music lyrics. What society sees about
Blacks, hears about (and from) Blacks, and encounter Blacks contributes
to how they react to Blacks-any Black. Negrophobes-the new generation.
Public Enemy said over 20 years ago, “It takes a nation of millions to
hold us back.” That may (or may not) be true…but this new Negrophobia
makes being Black awfully inconvenient.
Anthony Asadullah Samad is a national columnist, managing director of
the Urban Issues Forum and author of 50 Years After Brown: The State
of Black Equality In America (Kabili Press, 2005). He can be reached
at