The Black box in American culture is imposed upon Black boys and girls regarding what they can and cannot do, and who they should and should not be. In the case of Black boys, they can be athletes and thugs, but they cannot be scholars and scientists or engaged fathers and partners. They should be tough, independent, and aggressive, but they should not be vulnerable, relational, and sensitive. The Black box, in other words, constrains the humanity of Black people; it splits Blackness from goodness, and embeds homophobia into the Black male identity. These impositions are not simply about race, as Marcus reveals, but also about gender, sexuality, and social class. When Black boys and young men accommodate to society’s box of intersectional stereotypes, they disconnect from what they know about themselves—that they are thinking and feeling human beings—and disconnect from others within and outside of their communities as well. Over the next few pages, I first describe identity development and then reveal the pathways through which Black boys construct their identities, and conclude with ways to foster resistance to help Black boys stay connected to themselves as well as to others.
Using Language to Rage against Victorian Hierarchy: Self-constructed Feminist Identity in Jane Eyre