What is too black?
I never thought this concept existed but it does. It exist on this site, it exist in society and it exist secretly in the minds and hearts of our people who lack either the knowledge or information from a 360 angle as to who we are, what our struggle is and what must be done to reach it. The end result is a concept and reality of someone being "TOO BLACK".
Now i want you to be mindful that "too black" goes beyond skin color....even though I have often heard sisters and brothers make comments to the effect of; "I can't be with no sister/man darker than me. It's all subconscious so I understand. Now on the other end of the spectrum is the mental or cultural blackness/Africaness if you will. The brother or sister who is seen as a worker of his/her people, belongs to black organizations and speaks against the dominant white society is often seen as being "too black".
Too black is the brother or sister who can not view themselves or another black person marrying or mating outside of the beauty, the legacy, the culture or the history of our own reality as a people. Too black is the man/woman who basically condemns this structure and reality in favor of our building our own with our own and for our own. Too black is the brother/sister who for reasons strange beyond me is seen as being too hardcore black!...you know, the brother/sister that ain't trynna hear jack about no rainbow or any other color but our own...and then understands at the same time that this blackness exceeds skin color.
Garvey was too black. Malcome was too black. Kwami Turre was too black. George Jackson was too black. Winnie Mandela was too black. Colon Furguson was too black....and anybody else who ain't trynna hear jack about anybody other than our own is too black! Anybody who works for, works with and upholds a philosophy of "non inclusion" is simply "too black"!...and too black does exist.
Too black ain't gonna let white folks pay you. Too black won't get you on rap labels, or black movies or in the corporate board room. Too black won't let you play the role or structure yourself, your mentality or your speech to fit the Romans in Rome. Too black won't find a brother or sister playing the political game knowing that they really don't make the rules. (Yeah, i heard the Obama speech about the rich and the middle class...never a word was said about the poor or underclass..but I understand.)
There's a lot of history and culture that those who see the reality of being "too black" don't want to hear about. Being too black won't let you sit on your behinds while chaos goes on around us. Being too black won't let you keep your mouth shut when it should be open. Being too black is scary to many of us but it does exist. Funny thing..." never heard a white man/woman accuse another white person of being too white"