The "Black Girl"

I am the "Black Girl". All educated sisters know what I'm talking about. We are the ones who end up being the only one among the high achievers in school or on the job (you know, the only cheerleader or the only one with a corner office). We are the ones who are allowed into white social circles because we defy the conventional wisdom about Black people (articulate, intelligent and generally mild-mannered). We are outsiders and insiders at the same time. We represent a paradox of race and gender because we are not like 'them' but also not like 'us' either.

Condoleeza Rice is the ultimate Black Girl. Oprah Winfrey is the marquee Black Girl. Robin Roberts on Good Morning America is a serious Black Girl. Misty Copeland is the talented Black Girl at American Ballet Theatre. Venus and Serena Williams are the powerful Black Girls of sports. Halle Berry is probably the most beloved Black Girl in Hollywood. And she portrayed our only Black Girl superhero, the weather-controlling Storm, in the X-Men movies a few years back.

We Black Girls are not alone. There are Latino Girls and Asian Girls too. But Black Girls tend to be more obvious.

My tenure as a Black Girl originated in high school. I was one of the few Black Girls who took honors classes. Not only did I have to contend with low expectations from my teachers, some of whom took great pleasure in telling me how I did not belong, but I also had to deal with the social stigma of being "smarter" than many of my friends. You can only imagine what my weekends were like (because boys at that age are sooo into women of substance...)

Although I got a reprieve at Spelman because every student there is a Black Girl, once I got to law school, I reclaimed my position. This time around I was not the smart Black Girl, but I was one of the cool Black Girls. When I entered the working world, the Black Girl description became a permanent part of my identity. On Capitol Hill, where my boss happened to be one of the more prominent and vocal Black Girls, my position as her Black Girl staffer made me instantly recognizable presence. Later when I worked in the civil rights community, we had a sisterhood of Black Girl lawyers at the various organizations. And now at my university, I have Black Girl status in the History department.

Sometimes, it can be humiliating. Just ask the Black Girl from Texas who was identified as such in a yearbook photo of the Honor Society at her school. Apparently, no one on the yearbook staff knew her name, so they wrote in that caption as a placeholder, but then they forgot to correct it before the final printing. She got upset so the school went into damage control mode and issued an immediate apology.

I think she needs to get used to it. As long as she continues to be exceptional, she will always be referred to as the Black Girl behind her back. She will always stand out in the crowd. Among other black women, she will be criticized for being too uppity or siddity. Black men will accuse her of being head-strong and assertive. White women will regard her with suspicion. And white men will misjudge her as accommodating and non-threatening.

Of course, none of these impressions is true. We may seem to go along, but only because we play the game to survive. And often we win! We know who we are, and we celebrate it.

Go Black Girls!