Book Review: Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?

Author, Journalist, Media personality Toure's latest book, 

Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? is available at amazon.com  

Book Review: Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? by Toure'

Dr. Carter G Woodson’s The Mis-education of the Negro, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing’s The Isis Papers, and Elijah Muhammad’s Message to the Black Man in America are standards in African American studies.  I've read these books and came to realize and recognize the plight of the Black man and woman in America.  I learned that white supremacy/racism is as real as leftover lasagna.  Unfortunately, reading these books did not give me a better understanding of myself because they do not describe my experience.  These books provide insight into someone else’s Blackness and have, in various ways, made me feel far removed from what is deemed a genuine and authentic Black experience. However, Toure’s Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? articulates my heart’s understanding, a reflection of my own journey, my own walk in the magical forest of Blackness. 

Post-Blackness suggests that we are in an era where, if there are 40 million Blacks, there are 40 million ways to be Black.  Toure’ says “Post-Black is not a box, it’s an unbox. It opens the door to everything. It’s open-ended and open-source and endlessly customizable.”  Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? delves into this theme, but is not littered with  annoying factoids and shady statistics. It instead is a collection of pensive prompts and provocative posits that will inspire intense conversation.  Toure's tome becomes the catalyst for our own catharsis, the mirror with which to examine our personal role in Blackness.  He weaves together indisputable facts with his own personal anecdotes as well as those of 105 revered Black thinkers and professionals.  Many of the personal accounts brought me to tears as we see how far we are from Post-Racial and how the current Post-Blackness is a harbinger to such a time.  Jesse Jackson, in particular, contributed powerful musings.

A highlight of the book is “Chapter Three: The Rise and Fall of a Post-Black King” where Toure’ intellectualizes “Chappelle’s Show.”  It’s truly a delight to read his analysis on the well-loved and familiar segments in such detail as it relates to Post-Blackness and offers a thorough examination into the work of one of the most brilliant philosophers of our time.

Though I do not consider myself as an Obama fan, the chapter “How to Build More Baracks” was spot on in its characterization of the man who became the first Black President of the United States. Without subscribing to the Illuminati/Boule’ or One World Order theories, Toure’ offers some of the more obvious reasons for Obama’s rise to the highest seat of the land while detailing the nuances of Obama’s movements that are similar to those of other high powered Blacks before him. This section is a necessary read for all school teachers and parents in helping to mold Black children into world leaders.   

“We are Quintessential Americans” felt a little heavy on jingoism, so I was reluctant in conceding that yes, we are.  These passages describe quite a love-hate relationship while making no excuses for racism, instead empathizing and wiping away tears with each empowering word.  I completed it with a better understanding of how we can say something like “I’m from Brooklyn, but I’m not American.”  It’s been said that a cat born in the oven is not muffins, but is a kitten, yet those of us groomed in America cannot separate our Black consciousness from our environment as if we’re raised in the vacuum.  

Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? is an excellent guidebook in learning how to effectively toe the line between the conventional Pro-Black militancy and current, more progressive and less limiting Blackness, i.e. Post-Blackness.  Toure almost betrays the “tokens,” exposing the tricks of the trade employed by the easily assimilating Blacks, the “browning sauce Blacks” who can fit in every dish injecting flavor without changing the environment’s composition.  This is an important read for detractors as the uber-Black will want to pick apart the notion of post-Blackness with the veracity of vultures on hyena.  Toure' is more than ready for their attacks.

But Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?  best serves those like me who have had to justify, explain, reason, or excuse our behavior to the Blackness Police time and again.  It’s of great comfort to the “Oreos,” particularly as Toure' and his contributing sources explore the infamous “talking white” phenomenon plaguing our community with such clarity and honesty that those who have used this reference will be embarrassed at the notion.  This book serves as commiseration for those of us who were post-Black before there was a Black President. Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? puts my open-minded, highly confident take-over-the-world ideals of childhood into perspective, before being jaded by the "discovery" of my Blackness. This book was written for me. Maybe you can relate. If not, pick up a copy to better understand why you don't.