Black Book Purge
/Thanks to the Mulatto Vanguard’s latest lecture on starting our own Blue Vein Society, I’ve decided it’s time to gather and dispose of most of my black books unless they mention something remotely positive about mulattos or hold personal significance that I can relate to or have experienced. I haven’t determined how or where I’ll purge this collection, and I haven’t mentioned it to my wife yet because I’m sure that, since she’s African-American but doesn’t read much anymore, she’ll insist I keep most of them, especially if they’re by female writers.
And yes, I’ll hate to see some of them go: hard copies with memorable, uplifting words or those with a militant perspective I once may have agreed with. Speaking of perspectives, since black people - primarily African Americans - no longer consider mulatto males to be black unless they fit neatly into an agenda, I can’t rely on militant writings as I did during my indoctrination period in the mid-1990s. A case in point is the Nation of Islam, which still refers to biracial men as “half-original,” meaning the black side is the original man and the white side is non-original, described as “a skunk of the planet Earth.” How do I know this? Twenty-eight years ago, I was part of their organization. They accepted my mixed heritage only to pad their ranks and sell newspapers, but I was never regarded as a genuine “Asiatic black man.” A deadbeat male straight out of prison would be welcomed with open arms if he had the right complexion, but not someone with my looks. It reminds me of a scene from the mafia film “Goodfellas,” where a mob soldier could only become a made man if his bloodline were entirely Italian. The mobsters who happened to be half-Irish and half-Italian could never be made men; it's like some ancient code based on trust. I believe Chinese Tong societies operate on the same principle, where only those who are 100% Chinese can be trusted. It’s all about bloodlines. So, my NOI books may also be discarded. In some ways, parting with them saddens me because of their religious significance and the belief that one day, black people will inherit the planet. But where does that leave me, us, the mulattos? I’m not interested in being part of or supporting any group that perceives me as merely half a human being.
Now that I’ve decided which books to dispose of, I’ll likely have to prepare for the inevitable question: “Why are you getting rid of these?” Possible answers might include: “Because I have too many of them,” “They no longer mean anything to me,” “I have duplicates of all of them,” or " I want to share them with a new generation.” The last answer might be the best, and it’s partly true. Why not try to share them with a new generation of students and so-called people of color who may have heard about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights movement, black female novelists, and possibly even the Autobiography of Malcolm X?
Getting back to what I should do with them, I could sell them, give them away, donate them, or burn them. Unfortunately, book burning is illegal in most states unless someone does it in their backyard or business. I could shred them, but that would take too long, ripping off the covers and tearing pages out at the roots, five or six at a time, and watching them transform into confetti. Before I forget, the first thing I need to do is go through each book to ensure I haven’t added any footnotes that people might find offensive, especially if Jews or homosexuals are mentioned. I also need to double-check that my name is nowhere to be seen, a habit from my school days when our names had to be written in the top left inside corner of a textbook in case it got lost. Additionally, I’ll need to remove receipts, dollar bills, forgotten lottery tickets, or anything else used as bookmarks. I mustn’t reveal my identity, especially if the books are considered controversial, such as those by the writings of Minister Louis Farrakhan or Elijah Muhammad.
I might keep certain books if they focus on health and nutrition. The NOI has a pair entitled “How to Eat to Live I & II.” A few that might be purged discuss “passing,” a term popularized during the Harlem Renaissance that has recently resurfaced due to the rise of colorism within the African American community. Passing is often portrayed negatively, describing a light-complexioned black or mulatto person whose skin and features allow them to infiltrate white society undetected. Rather than recognizing passing as a necessary survival tactic, especially during the Jim Crow segregation era, many contemporary black people view it as an indication that someone either doesn’t wish to identify as black or has chosen to forsake the black community by presenting themselves as white. Frequently, in literature, we mulattoes are depicted as “tragic,” especially our women, with endings where characters either commit suicide or die in poverty. Those with darker skin often feel envious of us, as if the skin color we inherited is somehow our fault. The book purge is just the beginning. Eventually, I may let go of certain types of black music I used to play on my guitar and explore other styles and influences.
How would a new Blue Vein Society be established? Physical clubs or organizations requiring a specific countenance for membership would likely face accusations of discrimination. We couldn’t facilitate it via YouTube or other online platforms, as too many infiltrators and stalkers could join, pretending to be mulatto. Perhaps the new society will be organized through private online video chats like Zoom, where participants must show their faces and prove they are genuine mulattos through verified DNA testing. Additionally, we’d need to exercise caution because many mulattos have pledged allegiance to the Bantus, particularly mulatto women, who often bear children for a Bantu in exchange for acceptance into the black community.
To be continued…