A sight last night intrigued me. It was a young black couple: hip, with hip black hair, casual but stylish clothes, doing a waltz. Not just any waltz, a waltz with an accomplished sense of style and an edge that didn’t reek of geek.
Now, it wasn’t just the color, style and age of the couple that had my attention: it was the “where.” See, I was at Glen Echo Park in the Spanish Ballroom at a contra dance. Contra is the land of the uber-nerd-weirdo-geek (but not in a cool, SF kinda way), friendly-but-odd people. And I love it. Rare are the hip.
And, rare are the black folk.
But last night, not only did I see said young couple dancing, and well. Earlier I also saw a young man: black, stylish, with a handsome and kind countenance. It was his birthday. He was turning 29. I’d never seen him at a contra dance, myself. He was fun, easy, charming and energetic. And he was celebrating his 29th birthday at a contra dance: land of the Nice Nerds.
I grew up in Columbia, Md., in the early ’70s. My family moved from a town where there had been one black kid in my entire school class to living next to a black man on one side of our home with a Jewish family on the other. This was in ’71, and this was meaningful and significant to my seven-year-old’s world view.
And while I grew up with many black kids whose parents were doctors and lawyers, elegant, smart and forward-thinking, over the years, I’ve wondered, where are the black people?
Over the years, I’ve gone to free museums in DC. Where are the black people? There’s a significant portion of the local community that’s black. Where are they? I’ve gone to dance events, such as Zydeco (read: black Louisiana music and bands). Where are the black people?
I’ve just found it odd that I know so many black folk and yet am often in a state of quandary as to why I don’t see more folk integrated in activities I’d think had general appeal.
So, let me jump a bit in time. I’ve felt an attraction to DC more and more in the past few years. For lots of reasons. I guess part of it is that I’m older and finally DC feels young to me. When I was in my 20s, DC felt like a city of self-absorbed boring Boomers and older bureacrats, and it was. But the GenX & Millennial population is increasing, and I — no surprises — have moved through time. I now to enjoy the faces, energy and style of younger people and of my peers. The older people are there, too, and that’s cool, because the mix and integration is better now.
Another thing about DC is that I see more and more black people who I grew up with. Not literally, nor necessarily, someone from my neighborhood in Columbia, Md. But the kind of people whose vibe and essence and way of moving through the world makes sense to me.
So, admittedly, this is getting a bit awkward to write. I understand that this territory in which I’m thinking and writing is riddled with holes; there are million ways to attack what I’m saying, so let me just say what I know is probably as far away from anything politically correct as coulud be possible: I’m just really happy to see more black folk in the paths I travel and the places I go.
And now that DC is preparing to welcome, arguably, the most visible, integrated and vibe-alicious black family of all to its cast of residents, I’m happier than ever.
I just skimmed this NY Times article about DC being hip again. This article, plus the waltzing couple last night, made me want to express my perspective. And it really is just that: a perspective.
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PS – Read this after writing the post above. Not black-related. But addresses DC’s growing hipness.
4 Comments
January 17, 2009 at 12:58 pm
If being politically correct means blocking blog posts like this, then I’m against politically correctness. Not talking about certain aspects of life or problems doesen’t help solving them.
January 17, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Interesting piece, I think that it shows a bit of cultural awareness, rather than political incorrectness.
January 20, 2009 at 8:20 pm
USA is in deep trouble. MLK’s dream of valuing people on content of character died by electing a man because he was black.
This day marks the end of hope for that dream.
America will have another civil war before it gets another chance at it.
Black Thought says that blacks deserve stuff based on skin. Its what affirmative action is all about. Its a disgrace to MLK.
While its nice to see
January 20, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Sorry, Commenter Named “Setback,” but I’m deleting your comment above. Not for your perspective, mind you. Mercy, who would I be as a blogger not to allow you your opinions? See, I’m deleting your comment — with all due respect to MLK — because of the content of your character. Or, actually, for the lack of the content of your character. You didn’t own your voice with a real name or a pseudonym. You didn’t use a real email address, indicating to me that instead you want to hide behind some cloak of anonymity.
Your comment, now deleted, mentioned some activities you found a disgrace to MLK.
Martin Luther King was killed because he put words out to the public and owned every thought, feeling and view he had. You write of others disrespecting MLK? Hmmph I think your soul is speaking to you. But in case you aren’t listening, I will do some translation.
OWN YOUR OWN PERSPECTIVE.
I can’t make you. But I sure can require that you do so on my blog.
But, actually, now that I read your comment again, I’ve decided differently. I’m going to use you as an example. I’m going to allow your hypocrisy and lack of self-reflection, your unwillingness to be honest with yourself and others about how you think, to be an example of why the Anonymous Voice in today’s Web 2.0 world is so stale and undesirable.
Our country just elected a president who values openness and transparency. How much he can do? I don’t know. Well, we’ll see. But he values it.
And so do I.