Historically Marginalized

By W. F. Twyman, Jr.

Another common phrase in race literature would be historically marginalized. The idea is that historical marginalization defines one’s identity. This evening, I was presented with the opportunity to moderate a panel because a potential guest was mired in color consciousness. I declined to participate. I don’t live in color consciousness as a default condition. Indeed, I am becoming more bored with limited minds stuck on color consciousness.

This awareness of myself before race consciousness and the political turned my thoughts to a slogan word that grates on me, “historically marginalized.” Why do I find this phrase grating? I’m in a mood to be plain spoken.

First, the phrase freezes one’s identity in time. One is not the proud and content Dad of great adult kids doing great things in the year 2024. The history of marginalization from centuries ago is supposed to define one’s identity. Preposterous! I decline to play along. I once wrote an essay for Free Black Thought where I said I could live my life and not give another thought to American slavery. I often do when left to my own devices. The slogan word “historically marginalized” is a weapon of manipulation which seeks to drag me back to the lowest points in American history.

Find someone else to manipulate.

Second, the slogan word historically marginalized presumes the remedy is social inclusion. Social inclusion as in diversity, equity and inclusion. What does inclusion even mean? I turned to the great fountain of wisdom in the modern era. I turned to Wikipedia for answers. Wikipedia says “social inclusion is the process of improving the ability, opportunity, and worthiness of people, disadvantaged on the basis of their identity, to take part in society.”

Notice the assumption and premise…”on the basis of their identity.” Did this definition make sense in 1824 in Richmond, Virginia? Absolutely so. Does disadvantage of the basis of identity, race identity, make sense in 2024 in San Diego, California? Absolutely not! I have written at length about life with the race consciousness switch turned off.

Inclusion is a manipulative device for ensuring heightened consciousness of race identity. That’s my suggestion as someone who can “code-switch,” i.e. move from race consciousness switch on to race consciousness switch off. I prefer my switch turned off. It is my default position as a human.

Third, the more I read on the Wikipedia page, the more I cringed. Social workers are presumably tasked with the message "the personal is political." Stop right there. Before any of us were aware of politics, we were aware of our human dignity, our creative right of expression, our pure consciousness before the virtual headset of Blackness was placed on our heads to create a simulation of race. The personal is pre-political. Any other prescription is race as a simulation. Think about it.

Fourth, the raw manipulation reveals itself behind the slogan words historically marginalized. Wikipedia explained that social workers recognize that social problems are indeed connected with larger structures in society, causing various forms of oppression among individuals resulting in marginalization. Well. that ‘s propaganda right there. Suppose one perceives the world as a multitude of individuals first and foremost as I do. I do not perceive the world as systems. My mindset and worldview is based upon nearly 63 yeas of living. Isn’t it manipulation for social workers to foster an external locus of control worldview on my internal locus of control soul?

Finally, historically marginalized is the hand maiden of the oppression theory of everything. Wikipedia writes “it is also important for the social worker to recognize the intersecting nature of oppression.” Well, that is not going to work for me. Dogma of eternal oppression is just off putting for me.

There is more to life than oppression. Am I missing something?

Conclusion: When one uses the terms historically marginalized, one is freezing in time one’s perception of an individual. The misperception is insulting to human dignity. Don’t use the term. See the person before you in the year 2024 in Palo Alto or New Haven. None of us are avatars for ancestors who were slaves in the year 1790 or sharecroppers in the 1930s.

In fact, why not perceive some black Americans as historically privileged? I’m just saying….

U.S. Representative Joseph Hayne Rainey (R-South Carolina, 1870 - 1879), Second from right