Angry: This Woman Makes Me Happy

I want to go in a different direction today.  There's still a lot of unpacking to do.  So much that has to be taught and learned (and unlearned) as we try to end the evil of racism in our country. But for a moment I want to think about what a future would look like that is truly just, where black people are fully equal citizens. I was listening to the radio a few months ago and I heard it. And I have to tell you, it was the most wonderful thing. It was so exceptional that even now when I think about it, I just feel warm and fuzzy.

Ayesha Rascoe.  That's her name. She's a reporter for NPR .

So what made her report so remarkable? The fact that it was so unremarkable. It was polished, professional. She sounded like she really knew her field.  Okay, I know you're eyeing me skeptically now. What are your trying to say? This sounds suspiciously like "clean-cut and well-spoken."  That is not what this. I always feel some kind of way when my students are effusively praised for their stellar behavior on the 8th grade class trips over the years (and they are always praised for their stellar behavior). Like why do we need all this praise, is if black kids acting right is so out of the ordinary. So don't get it twisted. It's not that I'm surprised that a black woman can be polished, professional and really know her field. I could name multitudes who fit that bill. So what's the big deal then, you ask?  

It's this.  This was an identifiably black woman--with a distinctively black accent, not one of those white-sounding newscaster voices (no judgement here, by the way, since I happen to have exactly that white newscaster kind of voice) and a distinctively black name.  And best of all she wasn't reporting on "race issues" or "the culture" or "entertainment"--she was reporting on foreign policy.  Foreign policy, like just any other reporter, intelligently and concisely breaking down the details. I loved it. I was pleasantly surprised, not that she was capable, but that she was allowed to be capable, in a field that hadn't been "designated" for blacks, and still be black.

What does it mean to be fully a part of our society?  It means to be allowed to be ourselves--whatever that is--without being relegated to a certain corner or topic. It means that we don't have speak in a way that soothes white ears. It means the names we give our children don't have to be an impediment to being taken seriously. 

Tonight I found a selection of her reporting on NPRs website and listened to one segment, just to hear the sound of the future.