Why We Should No Longer Accept Being the “First Black” Anything
On Monday night, the MTV Movie Awards premiered and so many highlights and memes have flooded my social media timelines since, allowing those who missed out to pretend they hadn’t and those who tuned in to relive the moments. It was pure #BlackGirlMagic and #BlackBoyJoy from Tiffany Haddish’s outstanding presentation as mistress of ceremony and Chloe x Halle’s intensely captivating performance to the clean sweep from the cast and producers of Black Panther who took home various awards including “Best Movie,” “Best Villain,” and “Best Hero.”
However, as magical and joyous as this occasion was, I couldn’t apathetically pass by the posts that congratulated Tiffany Haddish for being the “First African American Woman” to host the MTV Movie Awards...in 2018.
And apparently neither could a host of my other melanated brothers and sisters as indicated by the many of commentators on Moor Information’s Instagram post, who weren’t hesitant to voice their thoughts on the subject amidst the well-deserved congratulatory comments.
It’s not that we aren’t proud of her, any other Black person, or POC in general that accomplishes something major in their respective fields, but why, in 2018, do we still have positions that have not been filled by a black or brown individual? Why does it take so long to break these barriers and even more so, why are we proud to break them, as opposed to creating our own platforms?
While I was pleased to see that Tiffany Haddish was making history, I would have been off-the-wall about her turning down the offer to host this awards show for something bigger, better and blacker….something created by her own people. Honestly, this is less about race and more about how it gets old fighting for the same rights and privileges year after year for basic accolades. Seriously, why has there never been a black female host for this show since its inception in 1992? Why are we celebrating that after 25 years of an annual event, we are finally blessed with such a gift, when the first black male hosted in ’93? It’s not even something to be surprised of considering MTV barely aired music from black artists until the early 80s. That’s another highly debated topic for a different day though.
The bigger question here is why are we waiting for white faces to offer us a seat at their tables instead of setting up our own?
YEP!
Black folks often speak about being “woke,” or “celebrating our own,” and “acknowledging our power,” but hyping up events like this one make me believe that it’s all talk.
Yes, being the “First Black [insert amazingly sought after title here]” is something to be proud of, but once we stop feeding into our own oppression and truly walk in the power that even white people saw in us to begin with, then maybe we can truly celebrate what Black culture really is….
Creative.
Innovative.
Unique.
A perfect mixture of naturalistas, raised fists, and artistic soul.
Something that can’t be touched, successfully imitated or recreated.
Not a second thought, a publicity stunt, or an excuse to engage in a passing fad.
No shade! We support you, Tiffany, and the many others who have broken the barriers and crashed through glass ceilings to be the first black whatever. It’s not you or your talents and gifts that we are bashing, it’s the incredulous idea that we have to sit back and wait for the platform to be presented to us instead of taking the hammer, nails and wood to construct it ourselves.
Challenge: Let’s build our own so we don’t have a need to wait for others to see our worth and pacify us with the title of being the “First Black” to do anything else on someone else’s terms.
