Unlearning whiteness involves a deep internal journey of evaluating how you uphold the institution of White supremacy. For Black people, one issue that often creates tension in our community is the “worship of the written word.” This shows up in various ways, specifically through the belief that unless you have correct documentation, grammar, and strong writing skills, you won’t be taken seriously, especially by White people. There is an expectation that everything has to be done following a certain writing style, like APA.
As a writer, this is something I have dealt with. I had to recognize that I had a “white gaze” in my writing. For me, this came from Black people overly criticizing my writing, especially in my twenties and thirties, as a young Black professional, new to the workforce. I didn’t have the language for it then, but now I understand that they were overly focusing on only the White readers who may read or judge it.
I was constantly gaslighted about this. People would text me when I made a post on social media and mention that I forgot a comma, period or misspelled two words. I was often told that I couldn’t write how I talk or express everything I feel. “Fawn, you can’t write things like this; it will scare White people,” or “No one will take you seriously,” or “You sound so radical and angry.” I remember thinking, “OK, thanks for the feedback, but what about what I said?”
This is why I stopped writing for a few years. The anxiety of worrying about grammar and writing things “perfectly” became a lot. I was always conscious about how people would view my grammar, not what I was writing. It affected my ability to imagine and be creative. I stopped writing altogether for a few years. It wasn’t until I started to unlearn White supremacy that I started writing again. Despite this, it still affects my writing, as unlearning is a lifelong process.
Worship of the written word also connects to how the Bible is utilized to pacify Black people and stop us from resisting—a tactic that has been employed for centuries. In 2020, during the protests following the murder of ancestor George Floyd, 47 was photographed holding a Bible. This act was not done to promote peace; rather, it was a tactic passed down to him from his ancestors.
Slave masters often used Christianity and the Bible to justify the murder, rape, and kidnapping of Black people. The Bible was manipulated to justify the actions of our oppressors and scare us into submission. Constantly invoking verses like “turn the other cheek,” etc. This has continued today, being used in similar ways and serving as a way to divide us from the Black LGBTQIA+ community.
While I recognize that many Black people adopted Christianity, this was not a choice. When we were kidnapped, we practiced various religions and forms of African spirituality, such as hoodoo. To survive, some assimilated into Christianity.
The effects of this still linger today. Black people are natural storytellers; however, the influence of the white gaze can, at times, hinder our creative imagination. Moreover, the overemphasis on Christianity has resulted in us resisting our spirituality, which is filled with a love for nature, plants, and water. Practices like yoga, hoodoo, meditation, breathwork, and gardening are not “White people” activities or “woo woo”; they are traditions passed down from our ancestors.
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