The code Switch
I have three greeting types;
The “What’s up girlie”- Reserved for the crew, when I use this greeting, there is no anxiety in sight. My feelings may range from calm to excited but there is always underlying happiness to be in the presence of a friend.
The“Hey, Hey” sometimes accompanied with a wave- This greeting is reserved for Black people I do not know, but can vary. Like many Philadelphians of my generation, I do not speak to those I don’t know, however if a Black person waves or greets me in the streets, I’ll return the gesture. The exception to this rule is when I am in white spaces and I come across someone who is Black. In these scenarios, I will initiate as a way to acknowledge their presence. For me it is a gesture of solidarity.
The dreaded“Hi”- The most anxious of them all, the “Hi” initiated when I come across an unknown white person. Until they have been properly vetted, my code-switch is in the full-blown ON position and so is my level of anxiousness.
Some white people get extremely nervous when they are in the presence of Black people. Don’t let us exhibit human feelings such as joy, happiness, excitement, or anger that could cause them to go into shock. Black people have created a code or rather a switch to deal with this. Whether it be our white professional spaces, neighborhoods, or other places dominated by white people we adapt, selecting our word choice carefully and exhibiting our emotions with extreme caution. Dampening ourselves gives the OK to non-Blacks that we are safe. We can be invited into their homes or interact with them on a professional basis because we do not in body the stereotypes or the negative ideals they’ve heard about the Black community. We have assimilated into their society, their culture. The code switch helps white people to continue ignoring color or maintain their color-less society ideals.
I started code-switching early in life. I realized the benefits that would come for me if I “assimilated” into some white spaces and to successfully do this I would have to code-switch. Whether it be how I greet people as I walk into a room, or refraining from using the word folks or jawn, it made white people feel safer around me. I learned a lot about white society in high school and as a competitive swimmer. The team I swam for was predominately Black and we frequently swam against teams that had one or two if any Black swimmers. The simple fact that we were in these spaces astonished some. After one meet, myself and a teammate began talking with another swimmer. She told us she was surprised at how good our team was and how well we spoke being from “the city” and all. I remember the fear that shot across my chest when she said that. Unknowingly, she placed us with the task to confirm or deny all she had heard about Black people, instead of getting to know me and my teammate.
Having a constant fear or worry that your words, actions, and ideals could be used against you or as a mechanism to justify or negate a whole race of people is unproductive and speaks to larger societal problems. I have to bear the weight of navigating through institutions that were never meant for me. It means that Black professionals are recruited into white spaces simply to corroborate white structures that prevent the upward mobility of the Black community as a whole. White people still don’t want to admit that they have amnesia.
Like most humans, when we are comfortable, we express ourselves with ease. We live in a society however that rarely accepts this level of comfortability for Black people. Walking down the street, cracking jokes with some of my closest friends brings unwanted stares and glares. It is as if Black people having fun and laughing is a crime or we are living up to some negative thought they have about Black people. I wish I didn’t have to code switch but the need for white people to disassociate me with Black culture and history lives on, so here I am.