As we come to the close of the first week of Black History Month 2012, I took a moment to reflect.  As a White man married to a Black woman and with a Biracial son, I wondered whether I had anything interesting to share.  I think the most profound insight — one that is obvious but is all too often forgotten — is that people are people.  Race really is just a state of mind, an artificial division that we’ve created to separate ourselves from one another.

 

That said, one cannot deny the history of this country.  Great strides have been made, but more are still to be made.  And, toward that end, it is good if we can keep our eyes and ears and minds open to be sensitive to and learn about the aspects of each others’ cultures and experiences that we may not have known before.

 

And, with that in mind, I would like to share a couple of things that I’ve learned about being a White man married to a Black woman, what that means and how that affects what I should be sensitive about.

 

Here are my TOP 5 THINGS THAT A WHITE MAN MARRIED TO A BLACK WOMAN SHOULD KNOW:

 

1. “Something New” is no longer all that new or that different.  Now, it’s more like “Something Still Sort of New But Not As New as a Black Woman Dating an Asian Guy.”   So, just know that you’re not that special, stay humble and get over yourself.

 

2. It’s best not to criticize Oprah.  Also, probably ought to leave Gayle alone too.

 

3. Knowing the words to Young MC’s “Bust a Move” is not demonstrating a knowledge of hip-hop.  Singing along to that song is a bad idea.  Dancing to it is a worse one.

 

4.  You absolutely may not call yourself White Chocolate in any context or for any reason.  Period.  Next.

 

5.   The N-Word  is off limits.  Always.  It don’t matter how “down” or funky-fresh you think you are. You cannot get around this rule by ending the word with a “ga.”

 

So that’s it.  Hope you enjoyed.  Hope I made you smile and maybe caused you to laugh.  And, enjoy the rest of Black History Month.