Calling All Coons, Aunt Jemimas and Uncle Toms

Condoleezza Rice is highly qualified for the job she holds.

We chuckled slightly when we heard that a radio host had called Condoleezza Rice an Aunt Jemima, saying she wasn't competent to be secretary of state, and accused Colin Powell of being an Uncle Tom. We've heard these criticisms many times over the years, and some agree that they are true. But when we heard that the radio host was white, a few of us were offended.

In fact, many people were offended by John Sylvester's comments, especially since they were jokingly paired with a giveaway of the popular Aunt Jemima pancake and syrup mix. We were, too. While many people, black people even, do criticize Rice and Powell for being the "token blacks" in Bush's administration, something just didn't feel right about a white person using known derogatory terms to convey that. Never mind that Rice and Powell are highly educated and prepared for the jobs they hold.

But while it's easy to be angry with a white person for using negative black stereotypes to define blacks, we also have to admit that black people do the same thing. Our attention was drawn to a song by Nas entitled "Coon Picnic." Dissing everyone from Tiger Woods to Cuba Gooding Jr., "Coon Picnic" is about black people who "sell out." The lyrics include, "these pickaninnies get with anything to sell records," "let's hear it for the coons on UPN and WB," and go as far as to call Kobe Bryant "Toby," a reference to "Roots." When people like Nas use these derogatory terms, they are just helping to keep them alive and perhaps make some listener feel as though it's OK to say and use these terms -- the same mistake Sylvester made.

Is it better for black people to criticize each other using negative black stereotypes and racial slurs than for white people to do it? We're not convinced that it is. An offensive statement is offensive, no matter what face says it.

Written by the editorial board of The Hilltop at Howard University. The views expressed in "Voices" are those of the writers and do not reflect the opinions of Black College Wire or its affiliates.

Posted Nov. 29, 2004