Black Family

There is a house in a nice neighborhood in good school district in a chocolate city devoid of soul. The blackhand-side kinda soul, I mean. Apparently, there is no room for such things in Atlanta, where old aunties’ houses are now fried, dyed and fully gentrified by that new “new” Atlanta that wants its homes and schools and stores and neighborhoods lily. Damn our money. Damn our education. Damn our picture-perfect, picket fence-ready family. Go on, git. Our kind is not wanted here. There is no rope. There is no tree. But it feels like a lynching nonetheless. Trying to keep that strongface, y’all. For the sake of my babies. For the sake of my sanity. But really, I’m feeling like a room without a roof. But not in a Pharrell “’cause I’m happy” kinda way. We just want a nice, safe place to lay our heads. A good school for the girlpies. Some grass to play on and a grocery store stocked with healthy food. Does Black skin really negate these things? In 2014, no less? Makes me wanna holler, throw up both my hands. And put a clip in mama’s gun. Why can’t we ever just… be?

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Denene Millner

Mom. NY Times bestselling author. Pop culture ninja. Unapologetic lover of shoes, bacon and babies. Nice with the verbs. Founder of the top black parenting website, MyBrownBaby.

8 Comments

  1. have you looked in East Atlanta? Some areas are really gentrified and hipster-ish, but there are lots of families too- mostly older black families and younger white and mixed families now, but that can and should change- we need more folks in our neighborhood! APS schools or Dekalb county, APS is better in this area. Plus the opportunity to send your girls to a couple cool Charter schools in area, too! C’mon! We love it!

  2. Where in Atlanta did this happen? Who was behind this?

  3. The world has never been a nice and safe place to lay our heads, sorry. It’s not a matter of color, social background, or body type. My daughter is black and she is treated bad at school. I was fat and was treated bad at school. I mean there will always be bad people to disrespect you no matter what you do or who you are. Rise and Shine. http://www.thegodwithinu.com/

    • Oh, thanks, Vanessa, for your perspective. You did a fine job of invalidating my family’s experience and telling me how I should have processed the outrageous racism my family and I faced. Hell, the racism we have faced and continue to face every day of our lives. You’re awesome for that.

    • Amen, Vanessa!! I was treated bad at school because I have a hearing loss in my left ear from an ear infection at age 7 I think. My mom didn’t have a car to get me to the doctor so I had to wait all day until my dad got off work to bring me. Kids at school thought I was stupid because I couldn’t hear them or the teacher plus I have ADD and so couldn’t pay attention in class. Yes, mean people will find reasons to mistreat others because they have a low self-esteem and think putting others down will raise them up higher to make them feel better. Little do they know that’s not the way it works. Making others feel better about themselves makes one feel better about oneself. Like the Bible says: “By watering others you water yourself.” Amen!

  4. Don’t give up looking, Denene! Your presence and ability to BUY in that neighborhood busts them right in the mouth that spews that judgemental, stereotypical crap that undergirds their disillusion of superiority. I’ve always made it a point to be where ever it was that was supposed to be off-limits because of my sex, race, height, whether or not I was a member of the group… I made it a point to make them either eat their words or choke on them, their choice. God bless you!

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