Why are Black People Triggered by Black Men in Suits?

What's wrong with Respectability?

One of my most fondest memories as a child, was heading down to the local clothier in my hometown to pick out my Easter suit.

As I walked into the store, I would see racks and racks of suits. A plethora of styles, ranging from the sublime to the subtle. This store was truly made for black people.

At this very moment, I can visualize the layout of the store and harken back to the arduous task of picking out a suit that fit me, both physically and emotionally.

Wearing a suit used to be a sign of respect in the black community. One wore a suit to important events. Dressing up was the thing to do.

Fast-forward to today and that sentiment has been inverted. Instead of a suit symbolizing responsibility and accountability, today’s black people by and large see a suit as a sign of assimilation into the oppressive States of America.

Never was this more evident than the reaction on Black Twitter to a group of black men lined up dressed in their Sunday Best.

I had to do a double-take when seeing the overwhelmingly negative comments simply to a video of men dressed up.

That’s when I realized that respectability politics has become a dirty phrase in today’s black zeitgeist.

Respectability Politics is essentially the idea of demonstrating to the majority group, i.e. white people, that black people are worthy of respect by exemplifying characteristics that the dominant culture deems as respectable. Examples include wearing a suit, ensuring your hair is done when going out in public, speaking with dignity, etc.

As you can see from those examples, the youth who have been poisoned with the notion of systemic racism and white supremacy buck at respectability politics.

The youth have no issue with going out unkempt, hair in rollers, ashy knees, speaking loud…you know, being ratchet.

Yet, what the black youth of today unfortunately do not realize, is that it wasn’t respectability politics that led to the gains of the Civil Rights Movement.

It was the spirit and unity found in that movement that compelled those hesitant to change to acquiesce to the demands made on society.

It was the fact that the movement was grounded in the truth of God’s Word. That is what led to the success of the movement.

Just because the men had suits on had nothing to do with it. However, they wore suits and dressed respectfully because they knew they had treasure in earthen vessels.

They knew that what they wore on the outside was a reflection of who they were on the inside.

When you see yourself as a king, you dress as one.

When you see yourself as a pauper, you dress as one.

We have too many wannabe kings dressing as paupers. Therefore, they are taken as a joke in society.