Black is the new black: Testing UCU during Black History Month

How much do you actually know about Black people? In an ideal world, asking this question would not be necessary. But as targets of systemic discrimination, microaggressions, outright racist hatred and victims of stereotyping, many Black people, including myself, wonder how it is possible that being Black remains a foreign reality. In non-Black spaces, the knowledge about Blackness is limited to the entertainment industry or the occasional fact about slavery. While one can argue that not being exposed to Black culture makes it hard to learn about, the inverse is not true, making this a non-argument. Communities of colour, around the world, are very aware of Euro-American politics, white history, white medicine, white pop culture and more, even if whiteness is not the majority in their context. Not having Black friends isn’t an excuse to be unaware about Black culture, music, science, relationships, etc. While this lack of information is not an individual problem, I do ascribe responsibility to everyone to be curious and not make Black people do the educational work for them. Let me add a personal anecdote which continues to inspire this column. I currently have braids, and while I think this is not an uncommon hairstyle for white people to see on Black people, the comments have rage-baited me into oblivion. Some of the questions include: "Can you brush your braids?", "How long haven’t you washed them?” and "Do you re-braid them every day?” or the weirdly enthusiastic "Your braids suit you soooooo well." To clarify, I am not angry at the people who said these things. I’m simply tired of having to remark on such a basic aspect of my life, and the way these comments were given makes the difference in racial and lived realities so blatantly obvious.

I shared this experience to provide an emotional background for this piece. Because it is clear how blackness remains an afterthought to most non-Black people, PoCCo went around UCU to ask 10 campus dwellers head-on what they knew about Black history. While we are aware that the questions are not the deepest and most difficult to answer, the goal was to also see people’s reactions when confronted with talking about Black experiences and history. My goal is to guide you through the questions and people’s reactions and lead a discussion that makes you think, whether you agree with my arguments or not. We have included the questions and hope you are curious enough to answer them yourselves before you continue reading.

1) What are durags used for?

I wanted to ask this question because when not worn by Black people, a durag is always treated like a fashion statement. I wondered whether people were aware of its intended usage or if it was merely a prop they had seen in music videos. Though I did not have high hopes, everyone knew exactly that durags are predominantly used to achieve waves. No one even mentioned it as a piece with an aesthetic function. Some people even knew that durags are made of silk to keep the hair healthy. My take is that people knew so well about durags precisely because they are a very visible part of Black culture, and the prominence made it easier for people to comment on it.

2) During vaginal birth, Black people are less likely to receive assistance such as forceps and epidurals. What percentage of Black women are less likely to receive assistance than white women?

Many studies (dm if you want me to fact-check) have shown us that Black pain is taken less seriously than white pain. This difference is especially visible in the treatment of Black people during birth. While only a few of our participants said that there should be no reason for the assistance to be different, others correctly stated that Black women are not taken seriously. Because of this lack of acknowledgement, most campus dwellers guessed that around 80% of Black women are being denied help during vaginal births. While the actual number is “only” 40%, the responses showed awareness of the delegitimisation of Black pain.

3) When did Black people come to NL?

I assume that most students have learned about colonialism at some point in their lives and thus, were able to pinpoint the arrival of Black people in the Netherlands in correlation to the start of colonisation. One participant gave extensive commentary on the role of the VOC and how the presence of Black people is visible in Dutch art, showcasing their role in society as slaves and the post-colonial consequences of slavery. Similarly, despite every participant guessing the century, the insecurity in the answers was notable to me.

4) When was Black Pete established as a tradition?

When I first read the answer to this question (1850), I was very surprised. By the way many conservative Dutch people react and how they claim it has absolutely no connection to race, one would think Black Pete has been around since the Middle Ages. For this question, we were aware that non-Dutchies would have a more difficult time answering this, but regardless, all campus dwellers guessed sometime in the 19th century. Students who took a Dutch course said they even learnt about it and ended up giving us a Black history lesson. 

5) How many people were taken and enslaved by the Dutch?

When asking this, I wanted to test what people knew about the Dutch involvement in slavery and the scale of slavery as a whole. And while the students were aware of the horrific nature and impact of slavery, all of them guessed either very low numbers or in the millions. Those that guessed low weren't sure how severely the Netherlands could have been affected because of its small size and activity in Southeast Asia. Those that guessed in the millions knew the Dutch must have played a significant part, but their answers showed that they did not exactly know the general scope of slavery.

6) Who’s the most important/notable Black person in your life? (celebrities possible)

This question seems dumb, but we asked it to see how people would react and whether they had Black people to mention. Especially in predominantly white spaces, it is common for people to not have Black friends or know a lot of Black people. Being aware of this pattern, we added that celebrities were also an acceptable choice. We were interested in whom students would name if they didn't have Black friends, and naming a Black person with relevance in their personal lives seemed to take longer thought. All campus dwellers were a bit confused by the relevance of this question, but wholesomely mentioned their friends or musicians. My favourite answer was “Everyone in my life that happens to be Black." 

Overall, everyone could answer these questions very accurately. However, we did also ask people on UCU grounds, which warrants a higher degree of self-engagement with racism than other spaces. And while I am very content with the way the questions were answered and many students were well-informed, there was a general fear. While it's true that we live in a world of cancel culture, if people become visibly nervous or uncomfortable when asked if they could answer some questions about Black History Month, then we still have a long way to go. Though I can understand that the fear came from a place of not wanting to do something wrong or showing that they did care and want to learn, I am sure this attitude would not have been present if we asked questions about white histories and experiences. Despite the month being over, I sincerely hope that the engagement with Blackness and the will to decrease the emotional load of educating others on Black people doesn’t end. If you consciously took time during this month to educate yourself, congratulations, but please continue, as this is not a checklist type of month. The realities of racism for Black people continue, and so should your effort to be aware of them. 

Questions & answers

Who is the most important black person in your life?

What are durags used for? Waves and hair protection

How many percent do you think black women are less likely to have an assisted vaginal birth than white women? 40%

When do you think black people first came to the Netherlands? 1596

How long do you think the Zwarte Piet tradition has been in place? Since 1850

How many enslaved people were kidnapped by the Netherlands? 550,00-600,000