"It's a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity." - W.E.B. DuBois
BET, the NAACP and the #BlackLivesMatter Movement have all come under fire for being specifically created for the benefit of people of color. But for people of color, these spaces are vital for psychological and physical well-being, especially in a country where blacks have historically been disenfranchised, discriminated against and have had the value of their voices belittled by people who have no interest in their political and social concerns.
In "The Souls of Black Folk," W.E.B. DuBois describes the feeling of living in a world where we are told to view ourselves and our political and social interests through majority-colored lenses; and these lenses filter the reality of blackness in America much like the tint on a window filters sunlight.
Our history, a great narrative intertwined in the fabric of American history, is excluded from textbooks and course curricula; and when that history is included, the stories of our struggles for freedom and civil rights are euphemized and our voices are silenced by those whose voices have mattered since the birth of this nation.
To understand why African-Americans need spaces of our own to flourish, to discuss political and cultural ideas and to celebrate our own culture and successes; there needs to understanding that, historically, African-Americans have been shut out of important, national conversations because we were deemed too unworthy to contribute to society and our culture is often appropriated, white-washed and stereotyped by mainstream media, creating that double-consciousness that W.E.B DuBois spoke of, that sensation of double-consciousness is knowing who you are and dreaming of what you can achieve, but also knowing who society thinks you are and thinks you can achieve based on stereotypical personas.
You have to understand that in order to function we had to create our own spaces that allowed us to thrive and to this day have opened doors and opportunities that are often dead-bolted shut for people that look like us without the mediums that we have created to pry those doors open. You have to understand the pro-black spaces and movements do not equate to anti-white spaces and movements. Just because we have created spaces that highlight our achievements and contributions to society doesn't mean they negate yours.
Black-oriented spaces like BET, Black Twitter, television shows like "Black-ish," and many other positive representations of African-Americans have finally given us the opportunity to see the reality that we have known for years; that blackness in America contains many multitudes. We aren't just limited to character archetype and you don't know how refreshing it is to see yourself finally reflected and represented in a positive light.
The NAACP and the #BlackLivesMatterMovement were created because, shocking to some, African-Americans have been systematically oppressed and mistreated in America for a long time now and many political figures in our government have remained complacent because the victims of their policies don't look like them.
While there were many allies to advocate on our behalf, their calls for reform and for the fair treatment of people in this country fell on the deaf ears of their colleagues. We had to create our own means to make sure that our political interests and concerns were fairly represented in our political system.
Black-oriented spaces and movements will continue to matter because in a society where our concerns and contributions to society are often cast aside, we need these spaces to propel us forward, we need this spaces to empathize with people that understand the things we're talking about, we need these spaces to give us representations of ourselves that aren't limited to one-liners about race or culture. We need these spaces because our our history is overlooked, we need these spaces because we are not the default to many people and we need these spaces to declare to the world that we matter.
