Michael Eric Dyson Response

The Breakfast Club’s interview of Michael Eric Dyson resonated with me a lot and two things stood out to me.  The first thing that caught my attention was Dyson’s observation of Black genius being socially, politically, athletically, educationally, etc. inferior to White mediocrity.  When he said that, I thought about the several times in my life when I have heard that Black people have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have.  I never took time to think about how visible this is in popular culture today, but I think Beyoncé is a great example of Black people, especially women, not getting the credit they overwhelmingly deserve.  The other thing that stood out to me was Dyson’s commentary on Black women supporting Black men.  When I starting using social media more and seeing things about Black people, it became clear to me that when Black men are fighting a battle, the entire Black community is fighting that battle, but when Black women are fighting a battle, only Black women are fighting that battle.  I also noticed how quick Black men are to, as Dyson said during the interview, to degrade Black women and how quick Black women are to support Black men despite the constant disrespect.  This is not to say that Black women should never support or stand up for Black men, but I think it is important for us to take care of ourselves in the same way Black men take care of themselves.

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