Creole People And Being “black”?
February 18, 2010 by admin
Filed under Cajun Food FAQ
So I am creole and I say I am black when people ask me, but if they dig deeper as to my appearance I say it is because I am creole. Some people say that it is just a culture, or a food, but it’s also a people.
I get flack for trying to be “white” (which I still don’t understand how you can “be white”) when I admit to what I am, with no pressure. It really is quite silly to me. So my question is how many other creoles out there have experienced the kind of…prejudice I have.
When I say appearance I mean my hair, and some facial features…I don’t brag about anything, but when I was in the beauty parlor some woman asked me was a “mixed person” because my hair was “good” WTH??? She claimed I didn’t really want to admit I was black. I’m sorry to say some people are just dumb these days
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Cher C on Thu, 18th Feb 2010 9:03 am
This is very interesting…I dealt with a similar issue my freshman year in college. I am Nicaraguan, from the Caribbean Coast, where most of us call ourselves Creoles, which essentially means a mixture of races and cultures in Nicaragua. My mother is black and my father a very fair skinned Nicaraguan. I came out looking more like my father. In most Latin countries we identify ourselves by the country we are from not our races because most of us are a mixture of races like myself: Black, White and Miskito Indian. It is unfortunate, but many people are unaware of the many different cultures and race mixtures inside and outside of their own countries. At a panel discussion on race my freshman year, my roommate called me out and said I was ashamed to admit I was black because I identified myself as Nicaraguan when someone asked me “what are you?”. I was of course highly offended since I am extremely proud of the rich culture from which I come. I am black, white, and Indian, but will always say I am Nicaragua first.
So my advice to you is to not get mad, maybe just spend a little time educating your peers for they know no better. That is what I had to do. You will be surprised how they respond.
Kristy on Thu, 18th Feb 2010 1:46 pm
*shakes head* Identify yourself however you want to identify yourself. If it’s easier to just say you’re black, go for it, but if Creole is more accurate, then that’s what you are. You can’t be denying your heritage if you’re telling people what your actual heritage is! Don’t let other people’s reactions dissuade you from the truth.