Community

I spent a few minutes listening to Juan Williams today; he's an author and journalist I respect and admire. He was discussing the Civil Rights movement.

I became aware of Mr. Williams as a middle school student, I believe. He wrote a companion book to what I still consider one of the finest documentaries of all time. Perhaps you’re familiar with Eyes on the Prize. If not, it’s worth reading, or seeing, if you find the title at a DVD store somewhere.

He is also my voice of reason on Fox News Sunday, one of the six news programs I watch or listen to every weekend. I appreciate his moderate approach to issues, and his willingness to be the odd man out. You don’t really get to see that from black men on television very often, and I for one, appreciate his candor.

But I digress. Mr. Williams is really just the means to an end for me today. In a wide-ranging conversation on what’s wrong with the post-Civil Rights era, Mr. Williams made repeated reference to a phrase that I’ve heard all my life, but genuinely don’t understand.

Trusting the collective wisdom of strangers, here’s my question.

What is the black community?

I don’t ask this question flippantly, or with an agenda. I ask it because I’ve tried to understand the concept for a long time, and honestly, sincerely do not.

I understand that there are ‘black people.’ I can’t always identify them on sight, but I get the concept. I am painfully aware that they share a legacy, much more than a skin tone, and that at this point of history, their contributions to the society I live in are significant, and spreading.

I follow that the black church has a lot to do with a particular style of worship, and that a denomination can have black churches sprinkled into its register.

I know that there are historically black colleges and universities, and that they have a legacy of education that dates back to a time period when segregation was both the legal, and traditional way of life.

I know that when a ‘black person’ starts a business, it’s a “black-owned” business.

And I know what a community is. In my typical fashion, I looked up the word. And there were certainly phrases there that could apply to some black people in some situations. But I didn’t get the feeling that any of the definitions were what Mr. Williams in this case; or any of a thousand other people I’ve listened or talked to in many others, was referring to.

I’m not dense—I DO understand all the points he was making, and I follow the semantics of the conversation(s), but as a wordsmith, I put a pretty high value on the precision of a particular word, or phrase—even when it’s a cliché.

I don’t say I’m starving when I’m just hungry. I rarely say I’m angry when I’m enraged, or enraged when I’m livid. The beauty of a sunset could be brilliant, but the beauty of a woman has never been, at least not to me. I draw a strong distinction between sexy, sultry, and sensual.

And “the black community” leaves me a bit … confused.

So while I’m processing the larger point of the very articulate and rational perspective that Mr. Williams provided in the interview I heard, I’d love some input for my other dilemma.

It’s important for me to say that you don’t have to think of yourself as part of the black community in ANY way to opine about this.

When I’m looking for knowledge, I couldn’t care less what color the book is that provides it.

This is a subject I hope to return to, because Mr. Williams raised some issues I feel fairly strongly about, but for now I'm just trying to find myself in this concept.

I’m having a good week. Hope all of you are, as well.