America is Not the World

In an article on management consulting: I referred to a receptionist as "Keisha". This brought a charge of racism from a reader called "Faith" who commented: "Why would you blatantly use a name such as Keisha? That is a complete slap in the face to African Americans, who , by the way, wouldn't qualify for such a high profile job!!! This article is racist!!"

What I found so startling is that "Faith" could not imagine that I was writing from a Third World Country in which all of the persons mentioned happened to be Black. There seems an inability of African Americans to conceive that in other parts of the world Black people own or are Chief Executive Officers for major businesses, and are so sophisticated as to understand the use of a business 'troubleshooter'.

The idea that a front desk clerk would be black does not occur to African Americans. In Lagos, Kingston, Castries, Accra, are modern cities where everyone who holds power, be it political, financial, or professional, is Black. One could commiserate in the 1950s when all American Blacks knew of Africa were Tarzan movies. In 2000 it is offensive.

To believe that everyone who posts intellectual information on the Internet is white and American, to assume that only white people or American people would hire management consultants, might be expected of insular white America. People envision others in their own image. It is normal when hearing a term as "manager" or "receptionist" to reflect on a person who resembles them.

Is it normal for a Black American to assume those holding these positions as automatically white? Had I used a Japanese, Polish, Russian, Chinese name, no one would consider it peculiar. After all, we know Japanese, et. al. have businesses and that their C.E.O.s or receptionists would be of their ethnicity.

The issue is that Black Americans can not conceive of Blacks in positions of power in other parts of the world. Perhaps Black Americans see themselves as "powerless" in America, but why do they reference their belief as the world standard? It is this "mental slavery" of which Bob Marley sang over twenty five years ago.

Despite the Kofi Annans the Condi Rices, the Nelson Mandelas, even the Oprah Winfreys and the millions of powerful and wealthy Black people all over the world, American Blacks are still certain they are oppressed and powerless "everywhere". That a Black billionare creates an award to be given to African leaders is last page news, where O.J. Simpson's latest legal problem is headline. Who is responsible for this mental slavery?

Is it the white American power structure? Do they suppress the news of Black achievement? Is the "Tarzan" paradigm still promulgated? Where is the Black leadership in all this? Do they spotlight Black achievement, or concern themselves with inculcating the belief that Blacks are oppressed "world wide" as a way to hold power?

In the article I wrote, "Losing Business at Entry", (referenced above) all of the persons, from the Troubleshooter to the Secretary are Black and reside in a Black country.

America is not the world.