Black Mystery Month

This is the last day of Black History Month 2011. A month set aside to commemorate the history and achievements of the black race. It helps to focus on our ethnicity, enlighten about and highlight our trials, tribulations, triumphs and contributions to humanity.

However, I have an ongoing problem with the nomenclatural decision to call our race 'Negro' ('black'). I deduce that anthropological 'wise men' of old, perhaps influenced by a lack of respect for individual sensibilities, consistency and creativity, could only think of classifying an entire group of people based on the unattainable extreme of a skin pigment. Other races were named based on their geographical origin or distribution, but ours is the only race that was officially named off a colour (or, more accurately, the lack of any colour) Ã black.

In the past, I have openly complained about this very negative racial designation and tacitly petitioned for a change in name ... to no avail. 'Negro' is just another word for 'black', which has a myriad of negative connotations à black magic, blacklisted, black sheep, black candle, black arts. If you look up 'black', you might see à 'swarthy, atrocious, depressing, dismal, distressing, doleful, foreboding, funereal, gloomy, hopeless, horrible, lugubrious, mournful, ominous, sad, sombre, dingy, dirty, filthy, grimy, grubby, soiled, sooty, stained, angry, furious, hostile, menacing, resentful, sullen, threatening, bad, evil, iniquitous, nefarious, villainous and wicked'.

On the other hand, 'white' (a synonym for Caucasians ... not their official anthropological assignment) is the antonym of black, with all the attendant positive things à unblemished purity, happy, goodness, heavenly, perfection, and so on.

In fact, even the meaning of the black in our flag originally represented hardship; more recently, we are told it represents strength and creativity. Go figure. The only positive literary reference to 'black' is 'in the black, in credit, in funds, solvent, without debt' and, of course, 'Black Friday'. That's simply because red ink is used to denote a negative financial balance and black ink is used for a positive one.

So, between the constant negative connotations, the oppressive brainwashing from centuries of slavery, the inferiority complex imposed on our race, the oppression, the exploitation, the systemic exclusionary practices, the withholding of opportunities, the distrust and prejudice à little wonder that so many yearn to lose their blackness. Men and women unabashedly engage in lightening the hue of their skin (bleaching). Many women disguise their natural thick, curly hair and adorn themselves with 'pretty hair' (long store-bought, Polynesian-looking substitutes). I surmise that, were it not for the expense involved, many would seek to alter their other African features à flat nose and thick, protruding lips.

It always troubles me that this manifested hatred of blackness is so very prevalent among our own black people. Although other races fight among themselves for land, for religious or for political reasons, it seems to me that our people too often fight among themselves because they simply hate one another. Black people sometimes hurl insults during heated arguments by cursing each other for being black, and disparagingly compare shades of blackness. I truly believe that this is because some of us hate who we are and therefore hate what we see in others like us à something akin to the psychological defence mechanism of projection.

It remains a mystery to me why an inaccurate racial designation with a preponderance of negative connotations persists and a more appropriate and accurate name hasn't been chosen. It also mystifies me why February isn't promoted for us to demonstrate respect for one another. The celebration of our heritage should begin with getting people to love themselves for what they are.

Garth A. Rattray is a physician with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.