Oreos are delicious, right? That's what we've been taught by capitalism for 106 years. It's one of the most recognizable snack in the entire world. I mean go into any American household and I guarantee, you will see a bag of Oreo cookies. To be quit frank I was never the biggest fan. But let's be honest here, if they were in my house as a kid, I would definitely eat them. Kids just love processed sugar, I guess. As I got older, Oreos took on a different symbolic meaning to me. A much more racist one. When I entered middle school, I started to evolve personally into more of who I am today. While privately I was trying to discover who I was, publicly I would reject it.
It's no secret that being a black man in America, you are already a target of racism and bigotry from the moment you enter the world. My evolution started in music. Growing up, I would solely listen to hip-hop and R&B. It was what i was raised on and all I knew. In 2007 my family decided to pack up and move out to the suburbs of Long Island. This is where I gained a different perspective of music. It was in 2008 that I started to indulge into the genre of rock. Anything from punk, alternative, classic rock and even one or two heavy metal songs, I grew a liking too. But I couldn't express it with fear of being labeled as "trying to be white." This then led me to start listening to pop music. Freshman year of high school, I grew a liking to more pop music, classic and top 40. But again, I could not express it. I ultimately just gave up with trying to classify my music taste that I just decided that I liked everything. But again, I could not express it publicly without fear of being labeled "an Oreo;" black on the outside and white on the inside.
I began to talk and text differently. I began to talk with proper annunciation. My vocabulary expanded. I began texting with proper grammar. And it was at this point, people would begin to call me an Oreo. Because I talked the way I did, my blackness was devalued and taken from me. As if, talking proper English is a "white people thing." I spent 12 years in the American Public School system being forced to speak this language. It is one of the main ways of communicating within this country.
Furthermore, i began to wear my clothes differently. Before, I would be someone who'd sag his pants. As I got to my senior year of high school, I would do it less and less until eventually, I just wore it on my waist. Again, this was a "no no" in order to be black.
With all of this combined, I was shamed in my high school. My high school consisted of a majority of white students. Whether we like to admit it or not, we were segregated in a vague sense. While no official rules or decorum were set in place of separating us, it was unspoken. Me being someone who loves all despite differences had a hard time sticking to one specific group. I was a floater. I was acquaintances with pretty much all the social groups within high school. And in each group, I was labeled as an "Oreo." White kids would say "you're not black, you're not ghetto enough" The black kids would say "why do you try to be white so bad?" as if the only way you can identify as a black man in this society is if you conform to the stereotypical ideology of how black people are expected to act.
I had a hard time understanding who I was. I didn't know what it meant to be black. I thought to myself, will I ever be accepted into a group? Then college came around and I realized, the only group that will accept me, is the group of people who are as authentic as I need to be. So I started wearing who I was on my sleeve. I started embracing my eccentric music taste publicly, I started speaking my truth with confidence and annunciation and most importantly, I embraced my culture and my skin color. Not the culture that society brainwashes individuals to think of when they think of a black man. I'm talking about my people's history in this country, the struggles we faced and overcame and how we are moving forward. That's what it means to be a black American. Not what others forces you to think it means. My skin color is perfect the way it is, and my inside matches my outside perfectly.
Now let me just say, for those who know me, knows I love comedy. Dave Chapelle is one of my favorites. And I know these types of jokes pops up here and there. Because that's what they are, jokes. I know how to laugh at myself. Laughing at yourself is important. But when you genuinely use the word "Oreo" out of hatred or pure ignorance, then you are perpetuating the stereotypes that are so damaging, it forces kids who wants to so desperately be themselves, hide their truth.
If you're someone like me, and are teased or afraid of being teased for being who you truly are, then listen to me; be you. There's only one you. You were made so beautifully unique for a reason, to add more light and inspiration into this world. When we allow others to label us and take away our identity, then we are allowing them to rob us or our potential contributions that can and will ultimately change the world around us. Tell your story without fear. Live your truth without hesitation. And accept others without labels.
