What a white person says: You are very articulate.
What a black person hears: You don’t sound like a black person.
I thought about this while sitting in on an interview earlier today. We didn’t have a tool for ranking the candidates, so I was just jotting down a few notes. As I reflect back, I noticed how I’d left out the word “articulate.” After all, the candidate fully demonstrated the ability to speak fluently and coherently. Yet, it never crossed my mind actually use the “A” word.
Could it be the candidate was white and there is an expectation a white man would be articulate? So, there is no reason to write the “a word.” That would be like me writing…the candidate is breathing. It’s a given; he’s there and speaking, so we should assume he’s breathing. I think had he been inarticulate, I definitely would have written that.
Eureka…we key in on things that are exceptional and different.
Trust me, referring to black people as articulate is fairly common. So common, white people tell us directly that we are articulate. As if, we should be proud.
Yes, I’ve been called worse; but, I take a slight offense because what you are saying is that you didn’t expect for me to be well-spoken. Why? If you knew anything about me, you should be shocked if I weren’t articulate.
#Random
Stirring Up Trouble by DrVLoLil 
Interviews are such a nerve wracking experience, its like catching someone that is staring at you but wont say anything. What’s up with that like you never seen a man sit in silence before. Anyway I just wanted to say I definitely understand.
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I’m a talker, so I love interviews. He was being interviewed and I was evaluating him.
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Thank you for touching on this sensitive topic. I am always slightly annoyed after I give a speech and everyone is so surprised at how articulate I turn out to be. Its almost as if their expectations for me were set so low.
However, I do want to add a pet peeve I have. As I black woman, I get more annoyed when black people accuse me of “talking white” when I speak with poise than I do at white people who gush about my articulation. Sometimes we create our own prisons with no help from the outside.
Has anyone ever told you that you “talk white?” I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue.
Great blog.
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Yes, I’ve been told that as well. I initially planned to include a comment about it but didn’t want to dilute the topic. I’m from Louisiana and I wonder if this is something more prevalent in the south. Which part of the country are you from?
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A few years ago I was traveling through Alabama. I spent the night in a Walmart parking lot and upon waking I searched for nearby churches to attend as it was Sunday morning.
I punched in the location on my GPS and headed off to church. Upon arriving at the church building the parking was empty! Upon further investigation I determined they had relocated or simply closed their doors. Yikes! Now what?
Oh GPS don’t fail me now. Bam! Another church pops up on the screen and it is only a few miles away. As I ease my truck into the parking lot I knew that Sunday School had already begun. I slipped quietly into the building and sat behind the last row of congregants.
The pastor was having those in attendance read passages of scripture within the printed lesson plan. A kind lady in the row ahead of me turned and handed me her booklet. I nodded and whispered thank you. The pastor continued on with the lesson and then there was a very long pause as he waited for someone to read the next verse.
I could hardly bear the silence so I stood up and read the next verse. Upon finishing you could hear a pin drop! Everyone paused and then slowly turned around to see who had read the verse. Then folks began to smile and wave. The pastor look directly at me and said, “Brother, would you please read all of the remaining verses. I have never heard such eloquent articulation.”
After the services everyone came to me and greeted me with a hand shake and a hug. Over and over I was lauded with praise for the fine job of reading the verses. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love.
Oh, by the way…I was the only white person in the church building.
When a black person says to me: You are very articulate.
What this white person heard was not: Gee, you sound so white.
Maybe the entire church were just closet racists?
I know better, they were just being honest…most Bible Believing Christians can discern such. That service was sweet and the people were even sweeter!
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what’s different here is that you haven’t enjoyed a lifetime of having black people tell you that you are very articulate!
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very good post! sadly there are subconscious issues that people don’t even realize they have, or don’t realize are offensive. thanks for pointing them out!
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That’s why I’m stirring up trouble. It’s all about forcing people to think about what they say. Thanks for the comment.
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Very nice story. It’s all a matter of perspective and the realities in which we exist. BTW: One should not assume everyone is a bible-believing Christian.
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A friend of my was constantly being told she didn’t look like people expected after they heard her on the phone. She had told me about this one woman that actually got mad at her because she “didn’t sound black.” People never cease to amaze me.
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Stir it, Dr. Lopez-Littleton!
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I think this is an excellent point that many do not not even realize they are doing. Even those who consider themselves to be unbiased, have tendencies like this. However, I believe it is more than just the skin color that causes the shock, but a combination of that, the style, age group, and reason for interaction. Meeting a professor such as yourself, walking into the classroom, it to is mostly expected that you would be articulate and not something that would be stated as a surprise. While being in an interview setting with a young black male with long hair, and an nontraditional suit color, it may be a little more unexpected that they are articulate.
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Being referred to as the “A” word is the story of my life… “articulate”. It always made me turn my head slightly to the left, and think to myself, “wow you just gave me a backhanded compliment… which is really an insult.” So when I read this post it was spot on to the reality that some of Us live in… I am not sure if Their view is really that limited or if it’s a conscious choice to not try and stereotype me, and an entire racial group for that matter. Furthermore, the real reality is that in all racial groups uneducated people exist – it’s not a black thing contrary to popular belief.
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I agree with this. As a minority in this country, one of the major nuisances I face are questions about my accent. When I go to an interview or make a presentation, people are surprised that I do have a Indian accent. This in itself is frustrating. This is equivalent to asking if someone has a Welsh accent and they are from Wales. The lack of common sense in people overall just appalls and dumbfounds me at times.
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I think this blog post brings to light a subject that many, like myself, have never thought about from this perspective: racial judgment with the use of one word. Perhaps it’s a generational thing because I, personally, wouldn’t use that particular word racially. However, I’ve actually heard it used in that context. It definitely raises awareness for communications I may encounter in the future.
As a recruiter in the financial industry, I relate the word to education and experience in the niche sector I recruit in. Seventy-five percent of my time I interview candidates over the phone and never see them face-to-face; articulation is one of the key things we discuss regularly about candidates. It is an important skill set for the hires I make because they are presenting in the roles I recruit for 50% to 75% of the time. The blog post brings a whole new perspective to the word and one that I will take with me.
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Derald Wing Sue suggests a comeback for the “A Word” (as a microagression) with something link this…”Yes, I am articulate but most of my people are.” This would open up a discussion about who my people are. What do you think?
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