Black People Can Do Anything

One day, a couple of weeks ago, I was walking home from work, down my beautiful Harlem block, and saw something that made me really happy.  What was it?  Well, two teenagers.  They were having a ball.  And they were skating.  

What's so great about that you might say?  Well, if you came up in the 80's it would be shocking.  Damn near revolutionary.  See, back then, black people did not skate.  They did not ski, did not surf and did not listen to rock music--even swimming was suspect.  Everyone knew this.   Some things were for white people.  Some things were for black people.  End of story.     

Of course (or should I say fortunately) my Mom tried to help mitigate the subconscious racial messages I was receiving.  "Black people can do anything,"  she used to say.  She repeated this all through college. "Don't limit yourself. Try new things.  It's your world." 

But in the 80s, even in the Bay Area, things were black and white (and Mexican). Black people didn't skate.  That was for white boys.  Black people played basketball, and football, and listened to rap music.  You could not cross racial lines.  

But let's fast forward to the present.  Now black people do skate.  And play golf.  And swim.  And do gymnastics.  And listen to rock music.   We can do all of these things.  We can even be president. 

Race has changed in America.  Things have gotten better.  Or, at least a wider range of black people and people of color are reflected in the media.   New ideas about what it means to be black or white or Latino or a woman are getting out there.  People, and I mean all people, feel less confined to stereotypical roles.  And that makes me happy.  Happy to see two black teenagers rockin' their worlds with skateboards.