By: Ajia Caldwell (’20), Staff Writer
Nearly one year after Insecure star Yvonne Orji admitted to being a “30-something year old virgin”, she returned to The Breakfast Club and discussed her stand-up comedy, her strict parents, but most importantly she talked about Nigerian attitudes toward African Americans. She was prompted with a question from Charlamagne Da God, who we all know has a long history of asking questions inappropriately. “Do Africans really look down on Black Americans?” he asked. I would first like to point out that although Orji is Nigerian, she cannot speak on behalf of the entire continent of Africa. Orji stumbles over her words slightly then responds, “No. I think Africans… specifically for Nigerians– Nigerians are prideful people — we look down on other Nigerians. And it’s not even that we are looking down, we are just always looking up. So, if you’re not in our purview, we don’t see you.”
She then goes on to say “It used to be that when I would meet other African Americans, they would know nothing about me but say ‘Oh, you African? So you think you’re better than us?’ And I would be like listen, man, we think we better than everybody.” Orji goes on to talk about things her father told her growing up saying “If the Black man does it, do it better. If the White man does, surpass it. If the Asian man does it, finish him.” Her failure to answer the question directly received a substantial amount of backlash from the Black community because while she responded to Charlamagne’s question with an extensive answer, some of us thought Orji would have been better off solely saying “yes.”
We could easily use Orji’s response to discuss African attitudes toward African-Americans and African-American attitudes toward Africans, but I believe her response sheds light on a much larger issue – does your pride stand on its own two feet or does it rest on ignorance and stepping on others?
As a Black American, I can appreciate Orji’s honesty, but her response makes me wonder if and when pride in your culture can be devaluing to Black Americans and ours. Growing up in America, I often heard my grandparents talk about getting fed food under the back door of restaurants because they were Black, getting called “nigger” when they would be in White spaces, or even hearing slave stories they heard from their grandparents. I think many Black Americans take on this perspective and in several ways, this perspective has molded Black American culture — essentially making a way out of no way.
From what I received from both Orji’s response and discussions I have had with my first-generation American friends of African descent, many do not have that perspective and never will as it pertains to America. So when people from African countries migrate to America, they come here from a “cultural” position of privilege. Essentially, not only do you have the privilege of knowing your ancestry, but there’s also this privilege of pride — pride in knowing that you can do anything you set your mind to and get to the top because your ancestors were not systematically oppressed in America.
When you take a look at the history of African Americans, we were stripped of birthrights that immigrants from African countries and first-generation Americans have — our names and our place of origin. I have always been a strong believer that the lack of knowledge of self will inherently breed a lack of self-worth. And while African Americans have worked tirelessly to bridge this gap in knowledge of self, our fellow Black immigrants usually come to America with years and years of history connected to their names and where they’ve originated.
It should be acknowledged that this pride can definitely further your experience as a Black person in America and all Black people should be proud, no matter their ancestry. All I am asking is that we acknowledge this privilege and note when “toxic pride” can become devaluing to your fellow Black American.
