To Be Young, Gifted and Black
(Original Post Date: December 2016)
It has come to my attention that there may be a serious problem at Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA). Black dance students have shared instances of racial insensitivity at the least and better yet outright racism at the worse. Examples of the experiences include being:
asked to wear a brace to minimize the curvature at the base of the spine where the glutes begin
told that buns required for performances that are achieved from locks or braids are too large
singled out for having short natural hair or lighter hair colors
required to try out for roles in costume when other students who were smaller in size were not and being told how they looked in the costume is why they didn’t get the role
told that black people can’t wear black on stage
I know, I know the dance world is tough and competitive. Perhaps that is due in part to the effort of some to maintain a white aesthetic. Let’s keep it real Misty Copeland becoming a Prima, (though she is SLAYS!) isn’t the end of racism in the dance world. Remember when the sitting POTUS got elected and folks were running 'round here talking all that post racial nonsense. How is that working out exactly? It is much the same here. Preparing students for a tough and competitive job environment requires that you affirm their strengths, help them identify and work on their weaknesses (being black, shapely, having short or kinky hair aren’t weaknesses) while helping them develop self-confidence. The experiences discussed above are not indicative of that kind of support.
Yes, I am taking these young women and their parents at their word. Why? Well for one in my experience where there is smoke there is fire. And, two once upon a time I took ballet. I think I was 7 or 8. I remember being told at that young age that I wouldn't have a ballet body. Not that I couldn't dance; not that I didn’t have the coordination, stamina or strength but that something was wrong with my body. I went through that class begrudgingly because my mother made us finish what we started but after that I told her “I ain’t want to do ballet anymore". My dance life was on pause. Thankfully, two years later we saw Sankofa Dance Theater perform at the National Great Blacks in Wax - Kwanzaa Celebration (it still happens on Umoja day every year, please come out and enjoy it). I told my mother after seeing black people of all colors, genders, ages and sizes performing that I wanted to dance with them. The rest is Baltimore African Dance history, LOL! But seriously, what did I find in African Dance? AFFIRMATION of my own BLACK GIRL MAGIC! Let me share my perspective:
To Black Butterflies at BSA - KNOW YOU ARE ENOUGH! In spite of what you may be experiencing and seeing at BSA, in the street, in the media or even at home; you are divinely crafted with intellect, intuition and beauty. Look in the mirror daily and marvel at all that you are! You get to chart your own course. If you need help reach out there are many sisters outside of BSA willing to assist you. At school support one another if you see another struggling go to her and ask her if or how you can help. Dancers build unique and vibrant bonds of sisterhood on the dance floor when we support it each. Those bonds will help you to grow and develop in dance and in life. If you haven’t already study the lives and works of Katherine Dunham, Pearl Primus, Judith Jamison, and other trailblazers in the black dance world. Also, explore forms of dance that come from African-American and African diaspora aesthetics. Ballet is cool but the Bop, Balanta, Samba, Kizomba and Zouk are, too. Dance is life! Don’t let BSA steal the joy and healing that comes with your expression through movement.
To the Parents- We must make sure to affirm our children talents and capabilities consistently. But also we must stop allowing these "schools" to damage our children's self-esteem by forcing the white worldview and aesthetic down their throats as if we don’t have our own great cultures and all that comes along with them. We are paying via our tax dollars for our children to be mis-educated and mistreated. No, that is simply not acceptable. If you haven’t already, read, Kill Them Before They Grow, Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black ( Boys or Girls), To be Popular or Smart, Youth in a Suspect Society, Shame of the Nation, etc. These books provide insight on the challenges of schooling Black children in this society and some provide practical tools to effectively educate our children. Be proactive, let the school teachers and administrators know that you know racism exist in school and that you will be holding them accountable for any instances you uncover. But most importantly understand that "A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." (George Santayana) and "Only a fool would let his enemy teach his children." ( Malcolm X), we have to be responsible for educating our children no matter if or where they attend school. There are plenty of ways that we can educate our youth and affirm their sense of self including Black History courses, Rites of Passage groups, Emancipation Circles, youth groups facilitated by organizations of the Divine 9 or other groups that are working toward the freedom and elevation of the Black people.
P.S. Stop thinking 'cause your kids go to an elite private or public school or cause y’all don’t live in the hood that shit is good. Unless you doing some work your child(ren) would likely fail the Doll Test. Check these out for reference:
Being black and middle class doesn't mean you face less prejudice
Mothers say middle-class status little protection against gendered racism for black boys Editorial: When Privilege Doesn't Protect
To the dance teachers/administrators - Really? Do you not understand how these acts and others like it perpetuate the myths of black inferiority and white supremacy? (Umm, maybe you do and don’t care.) If I am misunderstanding, my bad. Ya'll do know that most black folks’ hair grows out and not down. So sometimes putting in a bun that conforms to your size ideals just ain't realistic. Wait, BSA's dance program has quite a few black dancers in it, are y'all not studying the culture(s) of your students? I mean isn’t the theme this year at the school Africa, its cultures, art forms? Or is it that at BSA, Africa as an object in the lens of white art? Wait, don’t tell me you didn’t know Black culture in the USA is a child of many African cultures. I digress, how else to you intend to relate to or teach students whose culture you don’t know? (Again, maybe you know and don’t care.) Yes, we're all human but it ain’t that simple. A person's ethnicity and culture impacts everything from their learning style to their socialization. The Nutcracker again! How about Porgy and Bess, the Wiz, Dreamgirls, etc. instead? Oh yeah, I heard y’all tried to change it up but the replacement show wasn't as successful. I wonder why? Maybe it's that white aesthetic is too entrenched among Baltimore arts patrons. But what do we tell students, if first you don’t succeed try, try again. Know that some concerned folks are watching you and we're gonna call instances we deem as suspect, straight out.
This was written about the experiences of Black dancers at BSA but it mirrors in many ways the experiences of black students all over this country. In education it appears that Black students and their cultures are viewed as an abstraction.
