BY TIM ABRAM
toabram@go.olemiss.edu
In 1903, W.E.B. DuBois coined the phrase “double consciousness” in his book “The Souls of Black Folk.” DuBois defined double consciousness as “(a feeling of) two-ness—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings … two warring ideas in one dark body whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”
Although this profound thought emerged over one hundred years ago, the concept remains prevalent in modern society. DuBois’s first recognition of his blackness occurred after a young white girl refused to take his gift at a school event. My first experience of realizing I was “different” because of my skin color happened when I was 8.
“Tim, what are you doing? Black people are supposed to vote for Democrats.”
I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember how odd hearing those words made me feel. I remember the first time my friend made it painfully clear that I was black and different from everyone else in our friend circle. My third grade class held a mock election of the 2000 presidential election featuring then Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore. I remember all of us writing our choice for president on a piece of paper and standing with the people that had the same choice. My piece of paper read “George W. Bush.”
At the time I was not cognizant of national politics, political parties or anything of the sort. I simply wrote George W. Bush on my sheet of paper because all of my friends did that. But when I walked over to my group of friends, something happened. My friend seemed puzzled that I wrote George W. Bush, a Republican, as my vote for president.
Then he said, “Tim, what are you doing? Black people are supposed to vote for democrats.”
All of a sudden it hit me, like a rogue wave in the ocean. I was black, and therefore to him I was “supposed” to do certain things. However, I must say I do not think that he expressed those particular sentiments with malicious intent. On the contrary, I believe he was simply regurgitating some of the ideas his parents discussed at home.
Though we were both young, his words left a memory I will never forget.
Why is this anecdotal experience important? I think that as our campus is striving for continued racial reconciliation, we have to do the difficult work of trying to understand those who are different from ourselves. Imagine walking into a classroom and sitting down to find out that you were the only person that looks like you. Imagine this not happening sparingly, but regularly and, more importantly, expectedly. How would that make you feel?
Upon walking into a classroom, it is immediately reinforced that you are different. This is what DuBois spoke on when he wrote about “double consciousness.” This is what African American students on our campus have to deal with daily. I ask that students really reflect on this as we end this semester and aim to start anew in August.
When we seek to understand cultures or experiences of other people, we limit the opportunities for insensitive outburst that stem from ignorance.
Keep in mind the wise words of Albert Einstein: “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
Tim Abram is a junior public policy major from Horn Lake. Follow him on Twitter @Tim_Abram.
