To Be Black in White Suburbia

I often sit under my covered porch in the morning. It’s the perfect place to gather my thoughts. The mountains tower above the community in majestic fashion. With temperatures hovering in the low sixties, the winter months are gorgeous here. Each morning, I’m thankful to wake up to such a place.

When we made the decision to move to Phoenix, Arizona, we knew we’d be severely outnumbered. I don’t mention this as an effort to dismiss the notion that I appreciate diversity, I’m mentioning this to draw attention to reality. I’m of the firm belief that as Black people we should not have to live our lives in a bubble, only entertaining specific towns, and cities that have been deemed appropriate for Black folks. Fuck that. We deserve to live anywhere we want in this country because, at the end of the day, it’s our right to do so. We deserve to live in a gated community amongst other million-dollar homes at the base of the mountains just like our white counterparts. I’ve worked hard for this life. It’s my damn money and it’s where I want to be. They’ll have to deal with it.

While my experience in the desert has been great thus far; I’m acutely aware of the demographics. I’ve met wonderful people who I can confidently say have become friends; both white and Black neighbors respectively. But does that mean everyone will be accepting of their Black neighbors? I’d be remiss to believe everyone is accepting of all people. Racial issues are still egregiously commonplace in our nation.

This discomfort and awareness have stopped many people from enjoying the fruits of their labor. There have been many times, I’ve questioned my own decision to move out west due to my own uncertainty during the build process. I don’t blame anyone for moving out of a community they do not feel safe or welcomed in. It’s a shame things are still this way. This is the plight of being Black in America.

We have to scrutinize every aspect of our lives. It’s in our best interest to be hyper-aware of our surroundings. We can’t afford to be ignorant. Life doesn’t afford us many missteps. Many of us often feel the subconscious pressure to avoid being ourselves within our communities in an effort to make others comfortable. I’m not hiding my Blackness from anyone. To not be accepting of one’s self is mentally and physically exhausting. I’m not changing my expressions. I’m not changing my music. We must choose to never be afraid of being ourselves. There is strength in unapologetic Blackness.

I write this piece today to draw attention to the reality of living in white suburbia as a Black person. While I wish many of the things I mentioned here were not true in the twenty-first century, however, we must always be continuously aware and, accepting of the truth at all times. To be Black in white suburbia is to endure questions about your occupation when they see your beautiful home. To be Black in white suburbia is to question whether your music is too loud on your own property. To be Black in white suburbia is to wonder if you’ll ever be arrested for entering your own home. To be Black in white suburbia is to wonder if the new neighbors will be intolerant and racist.