This afternoon on the TTC I happened to be reading the news screen. At one point it featured the profile of a suspect Toronto police are seeking for a shooting. Among his characteristics was his skin colour, which isn’t unusual in and of itself (especially if the suspect isn’t White).

What struck me was the description: he was described as “light-Black”.

Light-Black?!

As opposed to dark black? Or “just” black? Or what?

Who made up this term? And what makes someone light-Black instead of, say, brown?

Take me, for instance. I’m biracial. I have a black parent and a white parent. Am I light-Black, brown, or dark-White?

And what would decide? My features? My nose? My hair? My lips? My accent? My attitude? Where I was born? What I eat? What music I listen to…?

On a lighter note, my partner’s response made me chuckle. “Light-Black!” she said. “Isn’t that grey?”

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 Copyright 2011 Annemarie Shrouder
author, speaker & facilitator on issues of diversity & inclusion

Yesterday I overheard a fascinating conversation on the streetcar. It was about a restaurant and the part where my ears perked up went something like this:

"It's a cool restaurant. You can get white food and Asian food."

White food? I didn't see who was speaking, and since the streetcar was nearly empty, I wasn't going to turn around to look. But I was extremely curious to know what "white food" was. Did he mean a bizarre menu of rice, mashed potatoes, mozzarella cheese, egg whites, milk and vanilla ice cream? I was fairly sure he didn't, but it was a funny thought nevertheless.

It didn't take long for me to get my answer, since he explained to his friend that the menu choices ranged from chicken wings and sausages & eggs to green curry.

So, did "white food" mean "Canadian food". I'm not at all sure if sausages and eggs, or wings are typically Canadian food (plus, rice is white and doesn't grow here). If I extrapolate, it could suggest that anyone that is white, is Canadian.

Which we know is not the case - but sadly the premise is alive and well in our subconscious.  White Canadians are not asked where they are from as frequently as Canadians of colour.

This all reminds me of a comment made at a workshop I delivered recently at the Professional Administrators of Volunteer Resources of Ontario conference (PAVR-O). I had engaged the participants in a conversation about the word "diversity", and a woman had said how it bothers her when people used the word diversity only to mean people who are not white.

So then I guess the restaurant was serving white and diverse food. And the diverse food would have to be from countries where the people are not white.

We have come so far, and then again, maybe not so much....

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copyright 2011 Annemarie Shrouder
www.beeing.ca

 This morning I was listening to Molly Johnson on CBC radio. She was being interviewed by Michael Enright; an old show from last year.
It was lovely to hear her voice as she sang song after song over the airwaves. It was also great to hear her talk about being biracial.
Her parents didn't have it easy as an interracial couple in America in the 1940s. They eventually came to Canada. 

I loved the interview, but what I want to talk about is the term I heard today - "Obama Black". Molly enthusiastically used it when she spoke of being mixed race.
I haven't heard it before. I have no idea if she made it up. But it struck me.
Obama Black.

I’m not sure how I feel about being Obama Black.

It's liberating and confining at the same time: on the one hand, being biracial just kicked it up a notch to presidential status. Woot! On the other, it feels weird to be considered in reference to someone else.  Now I'm not just biracial, I'm "Obama Black".
It suggests, of course, that we (including Obama) are not Black. If we were, we wouldn’t need a qualifier. That’s not a new idea. Being biracial is not Black or White afterall – it’s neither and both. But you can’t pin us down, because we all look so different. So many different shades, and features. It’s confusing, exotic, enticing, cute, frustrating, lonely….

I’m not surprised that we are not considered Black. But it’s almost like, just in case someone does (and that someone would likely be White, because Black people wouldn’t make that mistake) there is something to suggest you should think again.

Not Black – Obama Black.

It’s like making sure you have the right paint chip in the hardware store.

Not red, Napoleon Red.

The shade matters – in paint, and in skin colour.