Sunday, November 17, 2013

What is THE black community?

A few months ago when Dr. Dre gave the University of Southern California (USC) $35 million, he was roundly denounced by a number of black folk. Walter Kimbrough, president of an historically black university, Dillard University, explained his misgivings in this column. Dr. Kimbrough makes some compelling points, but still I was left with some questions. These are questions I've had before and will no doubt have again, but I'm sharing them here to see if anyone has any answers.


What is THE black community? 

 

Who belongs to it?

 

Is the criteria for membership determined by the individual, or by the group?

 

Is it possible to create a "community" out of a group of people because they have been oppressed on the basis of their skin color?

 

What if Dr. Dre considers himself a member of another community?

 

Do black people have a right to expect certain behavior from other blacks any more than whites have a right to expect certain behavior from us?

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