I Need More Black Friends

I've attended predominantly white schools my entire life. My elementary and high schools were diverse but still had a majority population and my colleges were private and located in the South so... well, you know. As a result, I have a good amount of white friends. I probably have just as many, if not more, white friends as I do black. To be fair, I also have a lot of friends who are of other races (no Asians though--I'm slightly racist towards them for no good reason.)

Having white friends is awesome. Without them, I would have never been to a beach house, an open bar wedding, the inside of the KA house, etc. I also wouldn't know what polo was or just how comfortable Rainbows are. However, I need more black friends.

My white friends are great in the fact that they're always respectful of my skin tone, but sometimes they err on the side of caution to the extreme. For example, my suite mate junior year once said "Not to be racist, but can you use a blow dryer?" Nope, I air dry my hair while I'm out in the field picking cotton. The one I get over and over again though is: "Not to be racist, but can you get a sunburn?" The answer is YES. I got a terrible sunburn when I was 11 after hanging out poolside with my (white) friends for 8+ hours. The sun does not discriminate!

Also, these questions aren't racist. Asking me what Busta Rhymes was saying in that one song and to teach you how to dougie also aren't racist, just slightly annoying and stereotypical.

For many of my white friends I am their best and/or only black friend, so they think I know the answers to everything about my race, which simply isn't true. I don't know why black people love watermelon, hate mayonnaise, and are always associated with fried chicken. I don't know why there's no White History Month or White Entertainment Television. I don't know why Beyonce's hair always looks so good (actually I do know: weave). I don't know why black women are always so angry, but I would bet it has something to do with black men. Sheesh. That's a post for a different day, though. Hell, that could be an entire blog...