2008 Woodie Awards
Wilson's Tour Worth Taking
Cincinnatti Writer Defines Truths in Black and White
michael T. Martin
Issue date: 9/30/04 Section: Arts and Entertainment
- Page 1 of 3 next >
Kathy Y. Wilson's first book, published earlier this year, is a collection of weekly articles from her first 18 months at the Cincinnati alternative newspaper, CityBeat.
The provocative title, Your Negro Tour Guide: Truths in Black and White, originates from a phrase she coined in response to her white colleagues.
She had numerous people ask hair-care questions about her newly acquired dreadlocks, and one man went so far as to reach out to touch her hair.
Wilson finally snapped back, "I am not your negro petting zoo." Later, in a response to another white colleague's relentless questioning about hip-hop, Wilson yelled, "I am not your Negro Tour Guide!"
The first article, "Blacks Like Us," criticizes white people, particularly males, for their amazement at the racism currently in America. She says that the legacy of slavery lives on through the concept of "white male entitlement," which Wilson believes led her co-worker to stroke her hair uninvited, and then wipe his hands on his jeans right in front of her.
In "Blacks Like Ya'll," she indicts whites for relentlessly appropriating black culture (wearing black hair and clothing styles, supporting white musicians who make black music, but ignoring the originators themselves) without having a true understanding or deep appreciation for it. Wilson refers to this failed attempt for non-blacks to share common interests as a "cultural drive-by."
On the other hand, black people aren't off the hook with Wilson, by any means. She blasts them for not supporting their own arts, specifically jazz, and for dismissing opera and the symphony as "white" and invalid. She also discusses African-Americans' need to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, instead of simply complaining about their condition.
Cincinnati is close to Wilson's heart. She dedicates much of her book to the troubled city, which is fraught with racial profiling and a dismissive government.
The provocative title, Your Negro Tour Guide: Truths in Black and White, originates from a phrase she coined in response to her white colleagues.
She had numerous people ask hair-care questions about her newly acquired dreadlocks, and one man went so far as to reach out to touch her hair.
Wilson finally snapped back, "I am not your negro petting zoo." Later, in a response to another white colleague's relentless questioning about hip-hop, Wilson yelled, "I am not your Negro Tour Guide!"
The first article, "Blacks Like Us," criticizes white people, particularly males, for their amazement at the racism currently in America. She says that the legacy of slavery lives on through the concept of "white male entitlement," which Wilson believes led her co-worker to stroke her hair uninvited, and then wipe his hands on his jeans right in front of her.
In "Blacks Like Ya'll," she indicts whites for relentlessly appropriating black culture (wearing black hair and clothing styles, supporting white musicians who make black music, but ignoring the originators themselves) without having a true understanding or deep appreciation for it. Wilson refers to this failed attempt for non-blacks to share common interests as a "cultural drive-by."
On the other hand, black people aren't off the hook with Wilson, by any means. She blasts them for not supporting their own arts, specifically jazz, and for dismissing opera and the symphony as "white" and invalid. She also discusses African-Americans' need to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, instead of simply complaining about their condition.
Cincinnati is close to Wilson's heart. She dedicates much of her book to the troubled city, which is fraught with racial profiling and a dismissive government.