Yes, we have a ‘black card,’ and it’s OK

It has been brought to my attention that some white people are offended by the term “black card.”

They got really upset when I wrote a column recently suggesting that African-Americans should consider giving Omarosa Manigault Newman’s black card back to her, now that she has turned on Donald Trump.

When it suits their purpose, these same people have no problem accusing AfricanAmericans of playing the “race card.”

But how dare AfricanAmericans imply that there’s a secret society that only black people can join.

That’s discriminatory, they say. It’s downright racist.

If white people were part of an exclusive society that issued make-believe membership cards, they argue, African-Americans would be up in arms.

One man emailed me, “What if a white columnist wrote about the ‘white card’? The black card holders would be burning down the liquor stores, CVS and shooting even more of their neighbors than they already do.”

Think about that for a moment.

Aside from his stereotypical characterization of AfricanAmericans, this man missed the obvious point.

White people are born with their membership cards stamped to their foreheads.

All of us, in fact, are awarded a racial card at birth.

The only difference is that one is considered more valuable than the other.

The term black card, though, is simply a euphemism that African-Americans use to express solidarity.

It’s just a thing we made up a long time ago to signify our birthright in a country that has long denied us equality.

It is a term we use to convey what it means to be black, to pay homage to our unique culture, to give reverence to our African-American heritage and to celebrate our endurance as a people.

It means that we collectively share the African-American experience and the unique joys and challenges it brings.

“Really?” another white man asked.

“All blacks must toe the line of political thought or you lose your black card?”

No sir, our black card does not make us monolithic in our views.

We are liberal, conservative and independent thinkers.

To hold a black card simply means that though we might disagree, we “get” each other.

It represents an unspoken understanding that has been a part of our culture since slavery - that black people, particularly those in powerful positions, cannot throw each other under the bus for personal gain.

If we do, the entire race pays the price.

“It’s racist,” several white people told me.

This is “unfortunate proof that racism is not restricted to white people,” someone emailed.

“One definition of racism (not to be confused with racial discrimination) is the ‘belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race.’”

The key word missing from this man’s definition is “superior.”

Having a black card does not give African-Americans superiority over any other race. Neither does it guarantee equality —- that’s pretty clear to everyone.

It does not mean that African-Americans are anti-white. In fact, it has nothing to do with white people whatsoever.

In a nation where AfricanAmericans are grossly underrepresented in all aspects of society, what’s wrong with us having a little something strictly for ourselves?

A black card does no harm to anyone, least of all white people. It doesn’t keep white people from always being the first hired.

It doesn’t stop white people from advancing quicker or accumulating more wealth on the average.

It doesn’t stop a white worker from earning $1 for every 75 cents an African-American worker earns.

It can’t stop a white family from accumulating a median net worth of $171,000 to an African-American family’s $17,600.

It will not keep more than 70 percent of white people from achieving the ultimate American Dream of owning their own home, while less than half of black people can do the same.

By talking about our black card, we aren’t begrudging white people of anything they have achieved through hard work.

It is always nice, however, when someone acknowledges that their white card gave them a head start, and it helps them maintain their spot at the front of the line.

“Why not an American card?” another person emailed. “Why does everything have to do with race?”

Most of us realize that we are living in the midst of the most heated racial tensions since the 1960s.

Part of that atmosphere has been created by Trump’s divisive politics.

Part of it, though, always has been there, simmering beneath the surface of a nation that, from its very beginning, has suffered from a race problem.

It would be great if we all simply carried an “American card” or better yet, a “human race card.”

But those cards expired a long time ago. And after this combative Trump era, I’m not sure they can ever be renewed.

We don’t like to talk about race as a country.

It is easier to allow things to go unsaid, while bigoted behavior is allowed to speak volumes.

Talking about race at a time when so much needs to be said is not “race baiting” as the race silencers contend.

Talking about a “black card” won’t make us any more divided.

But our refusal to talk about race at all most certainly will.

We are liberal, conservative and independent thinkers. To hold a black card simply means that though we might disagree, we “get” each other.