Being Black

According to K. Anthony Appiah in "Racial Identity and Racial Identification," The large collective identities that call for recognition come with notions of how a proper person of that kind behaves; it is not that the is one way that blacks should behave, but that there are proper black modes of behavior. These notions provide loose norms or models, which play a role in shaping the life plans of those who make collective identities central to their individual identities; of the classifications that fly under these banners. Collective identities, in short, provide what we might call scripts: narratives that people can use in shaping their life plans and telling their life stories. ...[S]o it seems to me, those who see potential for conflict between individual freedom and the politics of identity are right.

There is some truth to what Dr. Appiah says, but I think the constraints of identity politics, when in comes to Black folks, gives them a structured place from where they can grow and express their creativity. Much like jazz improvisation, where there is the structure of the song, the beat, the rhythm, and the other players, the clarinet player can blow his own tune--do his own thing. Blackness does provide "loose norms and models" to be used as starting place or a historical reference, but should not be see a constraint. Black heritage is the framework for evolving Blackness.