So, I was at a wedding with the hubby on Saturday, when we had one of those funny experiences that only happens when you're one of a few minorities at a big event. It got me thinking on the crazy experiences I encounter as a black girl that grew up in the suburbs, so I thought I'd lay those out for all to see...and thus "____ing While Black" was born.
I plan on doing a slew of these entries. Such as:
Weddings While Black
Driving While Black
Cheerleading While Black
And so on, and so on.
Most of these will be experiences I've had growing up, and I may take a few from friends I know. But they all promise to be fun. With that being said...
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The hubby and I were so excited to celebrate the union of some good friends. It was a small and swanky affair, with only about 60 people in attendance. The ceremony was lovely, the drinks devine, and we'd just settled down for dinner. In looking around, we were two of three Black folks in attendance, not something all together uncommon for us as we tend to hang out with lots of different people. But it was when the DJ perked up with a few catchy tunes that we ran into our awkward terrain of the night.
To dance, or not to dance.
See, it's commonly thought that black folks can, and enjoy to, boogie. It's like folks feel it's in our blood. Like there was something about the way we were bred that infused us with the "you can dance" gene or something. And while that's meant to be a compliment to us, it's also a huge stereotype. And one thing that young, educated Black folks don't want is to be stereotyped.
My husband and I spent - I kid you not - a good 15 minutes discussing whether or not we were going to hit the dance floor because:
1) We did not want to be the first ones out there
2) We didn't want to be known as the Black folks that brought the party
3) As stated above, we didn't want to feed into the stereotype
In the end, we did take a turn or two around the dance floor.
Even though it was a funny and awkward moment, I will say this...if they'd played the Wobble, nothing would have stopped me from hitting the floor. It's my favorite wedding line dance song!
Happy reading and writing, y'all!
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