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April 14, 2005

Power to the People?

Now, I'm usually the first one to stand up and fight against stereotypes, but I've got to put this out there. Why is it that Black people never show up on time for anything? I don't get it. We try and we try not to have these kinds of things follow us around, and but it seems that some of us missed the memo reminding the same lazy Negroes to get themselves out of the bed. I know you have time to sit down in front of "Comic View" every night. And I know some of y'all can find the time eat and sleep and get your hair and nails done. But it seems that six out of every ten Black people on campus can't figure out how to get their alarm clocks set straight so they can get to class on time.

I've heard this stereotype time and time again, but I never really had the chance to see it for myself. I grew up in the suburbs, where my parents made sure that I wasn't going to make the mistake of being late for anything. When you're one of the few Black families in the neighborhood, it's important not to give anyone reason to believe that their property values will soon be going down. This meant being extra careful to be as neat, quiet, and punctual as possible, so that people wouldn't have a reason to blame your faults on your Blackness. Hypervigilant? Perhaps. But twenty one years later, I'm extremely punctual for everything. And if I'm not on time, I'm sometimes fifteen minutes early. I absolutely hate being late. I'd just as soon not show up at all if I know I'm going to be running behind.

So how is it that I can run into my African American Studies class three minutes before the bell rings with only eight other seats filled? I waited for the class to start, and lo and behold, two more Black faces trotted in the door. I know what you're thinking: Two people isn't so bad. There's usually two people late to just about everything.

But wait. There's more.

I counted a total of sixteen Negroes walking in the door within the first twenty-five minutes of class. Sixteen in twenty-five minutes. And it's not as if this is any ordinary class. It's a film class, which means that a person needs to be present for the start of the class in order to watch the film in its entirety. Many of these people didn't even come to class the last time, so they didn't know what we were watching, or what we were supposed to be taking notes on.

And this isn't the only class this happens in. My other African Studies class started out with fifteen people by the time the bell rang, and ended up with close to forty thirty minutes later.

What's the deal with that, Black America? How is it that we can have the latest 50-Cent CD weeks before it's even released, but we can't show up to class to watch a movie? How can we wait in line for the newest pair of shoes, but we can't get ourselves dressed in time for work and school? We wanted decent work, we wanted a good education. How come we can't get ourselves out of the bed to get what we want?

posted at 8:13 p.m.

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