Unconventional Black People

With it being Black History Month it’s a great time to talk about Black issues that aren’t commonly spoken about. One of these being the topic of unconventional Black people.

Growing up in the Black community there isn’t very much room for differences. Meaning, that while everyone isn’t expected to act exactly the same, when someone doesn’t meet the social standard it isn’t widely accepted.

There isn’t a set “look” regarding stereotypes within the community but there is an image of what you shouldn’t look like in order to be deemed as Black enough. A good example of this would be alternative or “alt” Black people. This just means that these people prefer to wear gothic clothing, may do their makeup differently or have piercings that aren’t extremely common.

A large part of Black culture is within the Divine Nine (D9), the umbrella for Black Greek-letter organizations. While these sororities and fraternities are not limited to only Black people, it’s been seen as a comfortable space for those interested. This is why when there is a Black person that joins a Greek organization that isn’t D9, they're seen to be outsiders.

Growing up in the Black community there are deeply rooted stereotypes for how one should carry themselves and if one doesn’t abide by these conformities, they’re faced with criticism.

Photographs used in cover is credited to The University of Southern MI., Pinterest image of “Aliyah Core”.