What is Black Enough?

Caitlyn Griffin 04/23/2006 Dr. Harris ENGL 2017-65125 What is Black Enough? The definition of authenticity is, “the practice of aligning actions with one’s true self, values, and beliefs, fostering deeper connections and improved mental well-being” If this is the definition of being authentic, how can somebody else question another person authenticity? In many Black communities, there appears to be a singular narrative that dictates what it means to be "authentically Black." Some people believe you are not being authentically black when you don't wear your natural hair, when you don't share the fashion, or when you don't listen to black music. Most importantly, people don't believe that you are fully black if you don't have the rags to riches experience. If being authentic is aligning action with one true self, who has the authority to define another person's identity, especially within the context of being Black? Much of black identity is rooted in the struggle culture. People have heard plenty of times of how their parents must come up. It's the rags to riches story repeatedly each generation. Yes, African Americans are more known for being in the working class and the fact that they've experienced systemic hardships. Once the African American reached the goal of higher class, then if we're a shift in the identity happens. Being in the higher class can create tension between you and other people in the black community. Since you were no longer relating to the main narrative of African Americans. The concept of struggle culture also intertwines with hustle culture. It is not uncommon to see children selling candy or chips and snacks and adults working multiple jobs. Black people hustled to get out of the situation that they are in and build generational wealth. We see plenty of people who work full time jobs but will also work aside gig. There could be things like driving Uber, making crafts, doing hair, basically anything to get the money up. Black American clearly want better for their lives, and they are willing to put in work to do so. Oppression on black people financially is not a new tale. We have seen this treatment back through slavery days. Once African Americans were released from slavery, most did not know how to read or write, so jobs were limited for them. They had to stick to industrial jobs, and this got them in situations such as sharecropping systems. Sharecropping is a tenant (or slave), agreed to work on the owner's land for exchange of living accommodation and the share of the profit. However, these freed slaves were not getting paid a fair amount, in result, they could not move up in their own lives. This kind of struggle followed them into events like the Great Migration and the Great Depression. Especially during the Great Depression, where the black workers were mostly impacted by unemployment. However, through. The struggles. In the urban center areas, they were able to have movements such as the Jazz Age and the Harlem Renaissance. Struggle is not new to African American, each time however they find a way to make it work. There is a difference between the stereotypes versus the lived experiences of African Americans. The culture described African Americans as people who lived through poverty, through choice, not because of the barriers that they go through. They could be seen as lazy, with broken households, and with substance abuse problems. However, this is not the case for the lived experience part. The poverty is likely caused because of the issues that they go through, the lack of quality education, healthcare and discrimination in the job field. The stereotype that they go through and the cultural lens often makes it harder for them to breakthrough. The media like to portray African Americans in this way, however. It has been proven that they can be hard workers and want to get out of the lower middle-class section. In society, the idea of black identity is very socially made. The community here phrases such as “too white” and “two black”, or “too ghetto” or “too whitewash”. These assumptions did not come out of nowhere. We can see them in the TV show that we watch, the music that we listen to, and the stories that we hear. However, a shift is beginning start in how black people are presented. However, for a long time we were presented in a low-class manner and that has clearly stuck. Being authentic as a part black person is hard to label. There is not one way to be black. From the hairstyle that we wear, to the fashion that we have, not everybody looks the same. Most importantly, not everybody had the same experiences, which makes the situation so hard. Some black individuals grew up in predominantly white institutions (PWI's) grew up in a higher-class society without having to hustle. The problems are often internal where we see each other having to struggle. However, other races play into it as well. If we look in our music culture, we see rappers with gold chains, gold teeth. However, they are rapping about the struggle that they must get there. When we are being fed all this struggle culture, it would be hard not to believe in yourself. Being authentic as a black person is hard, however, it is because it is more than one way to be a black person. The views of struggle and poverty that African Americans have did not come out of nowhere. They were built in through history, struggle with the media said and what we even say about ourselves. However, we have proven to ourselves time and time again that we are hard workers and that we get things done with the hustle culture we have. The rags to riches tale it is becoming decreasingly common, however it is still there and people still play into it. It does not matter how you wear your hair, how you dress, or what you listen to, you can be authentically black. It about embracing the diversity within the race and being proud. Works Cited “Black Enough? African American Writers and the Vernacular Tradition.” University of Portland Pilot Scholars, English Faculty Publications and Presentations English , 2015. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026. ‌ Tetreau, Jared. “Sharecropping: Slavery Rerouted | American Experience | PBS.” Www.pbs.org, 16 Aug. 2023, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/harvest-sharecropping-slavery-rerouted/. ‌ keyrestina. ““Something’s Gotta Give”: Hustle Culture, Burnout and the Idea of Radical Self-Love in the Black….” Medium, 21 Aug. 2023, medium.com/@keyrestinawrites/somethings-gotta-give-hustle-culture-and-the-idea-of-radical-self-love-in-the-black-community-877577833520. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026. Tissot, Sylvie. “The Black Middle Class, or the Harsh Reality of the American Dream – Metropolitics.” Metropolitics, 24 Jan. 2023, metropolitics.org/The-Black-Middle-Class-or-the-Harsh-Reality-of-the-American-Dream.html#. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026. Young, Alim. “What Is Authentic Blackness?” The Hawk News, 2026, sjuhawknews.com/9632/opinions/what-is-authentic-blackness/. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026. ‌