The Myth of White Supremacy and Black Inferiority
The term “white supremacy” has been used quite frequently over the last 50 years, and while it has been used synonymously with “white supremacy racism,” the two terms are distinctly different in what they represent. White supremacy is a notion that borders on the edge of Western mythology, and it suggests that Indo-Europeans and Aryans are, in some way, superior to people of color. On the other hand, white supremacy racism is a term that has been adopted to more accurately reflect the system of power through which one group exercises control and domination over another. While white supremacy suggests that white people, themselves, are superior, white supremacy racism identifies a system through which white people, specifically, the white elite, manipulate and control the masses through multitudinous modalities that make up the system of control.
While white supremacy racism is more about whites maintaining a position of power, the power that is wielded can be highly suggestive that the one wielding it is superior. While the term white supremacy racism was chosen because it provides a more lucid image of what racism is, eliminating the argument that blacks can participate in reverse racism, there is a danger that the use of the word can have a negative influence on those negatively impacted by the system. Supremacy suggests superiority, giving the impression that those in power are superior, and for this reason, the term must be used judiciously, and in proper context.
What I want to suggest here is the notion, especially among Westerners, that the white race is superior is beyond mythological, and that it has no scientific or historical foundation. I will not spend any significant time rebutting the postulation of white supremacy or white superiority, but I would suggest reading The Cress Theory of Color Confrontation and The Isis Papers, both by Dr. Francis Cress Welsing. There are a number of other books that will highlight the exceptional intellect and genetic prowess of “melanin-rich” people, but I will simply point to the validated fact that blacks are the source of humanity and civilization as we know it. The vast majority of inventions that have been attributed to whites were actually the work of blacks, from the cotton gin to the steam engine — not to mention the cell phone.
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A great deal of the negative postulations surrounding the idea that whites are superior is actually the result of Europeans being parochial and backwards earlier in history. While there is substantial evidence that some Europeans visited Africa, and that they were aware of the amazing civilizations throughout that continent, the truth is that the vast majority of Europeans were completely ignorant of the rich heritage of Africa prior to the 1400s.
It is important to understand that by the first time that Europeans visited Africa in large numbers in the 1400s and 1500s, many of the prominent African civilizations had deteriorated for one reason or another, and so the impression that Europeans had of Africans were reflective of this deteriorated state, it is also worth noting that it was this deteriorated state that allowed Europeans to successfully invade and subjugate parts of Africa.
What should also be noted and researched is the fact that at a time when Europe was amidst its dark ages, a time in which disease, death and barbarianism was rampant, it was African visitors, predominantly Moors, who brought the principles of African civilization to Europe. In fact, it was the Moors who taught the Europeans the importance of bathing and other vital hygiene requirements.
There is a wealth of pragmatic and empirical evidence that supports the fact that blacks are actually genetically dominant and the presence of a recessive gene in whites, makes them genetically inferior. What this means is that any time the races are merged, the result will be black progeny. There have been a number of black sociologists and geopolitical analysts that suggest that it is this genetic dilemma that is at the core of the constant hostility of whites that is aimed at blacks. Theoretically, blacks could actually destroy the white race, as it is now defined, by simply procreating with them. Dr. Francis Cress Welsing’s “Cress Theory of Color Confrontation” highlights this dynamic.
While I have very little interest in what whites believe as far as their perceived superiority, I am immensely concerned with how their actions, though the system of “white supremacy racism,” has impacted the black self-image. Sociological and psychological scholars, such as Dr. Joy DeGruy and Dr. Na’im Akbar have done an immense job in pointing out the negative impact that slavery has had on blacks, even having been 150 years removed from legal slavery. Franz Fanon has also contributed much to the discussion of the power of systematic oppression to shape self-image. When there is a specific group in power that sends a message, whether subliminally or directly, that it is superior, it can have an immense impact on the development of an inferiority complex among the oppressed. This inferiority complex can lead to self-hatred and self-destruction.
For those who view the current dilemma of blacks in America through a superficial lens, it will be easy to suggest that slavery, being more than 150 years removed, cannot possibly have any real impact on contemporary blacks; however, there is a wealth of scientific evidence that reveals the power of psychological bondage that is not effectively engaged. Being physically released from bondage does not automatically guarantee psychological and emotional freedom.
Take a look at how Carter G. Woodson explained it in his book, The Mis-education of the Negro.
“When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his ‘proper place’ and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary.”
The Myth of White Supremacy and Black Inferiority
The black experience, in and of itself, has served as an experiential educating force for blacks throughout the course of our history in this country. When young black men are not effectively taught of their giftedness, intellectual prowess and genetic dominance, they will be consumed by the negative messages that are being sent from a number of different mediums, beginning with the public education system. In my book, “The Mis-education of Black Youth in America,” I talk about the importance of holistic education to provide the information and experience necessary to help blacks escape the prison of our collect inferiority complex, which drives the self-hatred that is at the core of all of the fratricide and intra-racial violence in our inner city communities.
It is a well-known fact that traumatized people traumatize others, so when you have a group of people that have been traumatized for generations prior to being pseudo-emancipated, being physically released does not free them of the psychological scars and the feelings of inferiority that impact how they see themselves and how they view others who look like them. So, we are now dealing with a black population that has been traumatized by the traumatized generation before them.
The reason that the level of violence among blacks in the inner city is so high is because we have yet to see the value in black life. Self-hatred makes it impossible to see value in oneself, and it subsequently limits the ability to see the value in the life of anyone that looks like us. If we want to impact the violence in our communities, we must take the steps to instill value in black lives.
In my program, The Black Community Empowerment Initiative, I use a multifaceted approach in introducing young black youth to their authentic self, not the self that is suggested through mass media, not the self that is suggested by their current situation, not the self that is suggested by their history in this country, but the self that is beautiful, powerful and unbound by circumstances. I show them what is possible and why they are not inferior, as well as why they are valuable and needed. When you give a child a reason to value their own lives, it will innately create a high level of value on all lives of those who look like them.
This means that we must be willing to confront all of our issues at the root. This means that black men must be willing to step up and take back their communities, while functioning in their roles as leaders. White superiority has always been a myth, but the perpetuation of this myth has caused substantial damage to the African American psyche, but now is the time that we must reclaim our sense of pride. It is time to openly celebrate our genius and exceptional capacity to excel. It is time to teach our youth how to write their own stories, instead of allowing their enemies to write it for them. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace, Ph.D.
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