Black People & Watermelon

It’s National Watermelon Day!

Were you aware?

This was suppose to be a short Instagram post but I decided to add it here on the blog for longevity.

The Topic

Black people & watermelon. There's been a stigma around the two for centuries. Every time I buy or eat it, that stigma is on my mind.

Through the years, I've seen the racist caricatures but never knew the story behind them. Where did the stereotypes come from? I did some research because thank goodness Google is still free! If you’ve never seen the tasteless, disgraceful photos for yourself, you should research them, too.

The BS of racism is really exhausting.

A Brief History

Lazy. Childish. Dirty.

The words (once) used to describe black people indulging in the sweet, juicy fruit. I’m sure the references continue today. I still have a problem eating it in public. The whole scenario is triggering for many of us.

Did you know that?

Watermelon is a berry. Yep! It originated in Africa, made its way to China, hit Europe & then the Americas by way of the transatlantic slave trade.

Slaves harvested the fruit & some slave owners would share it with their slaves. However, they then expected them to gravel because of their kindness. Kindness??? The audacity!

After Black people were freed, they used what they knew to make a living. Watermelon is easy to grow, so they grew their own & sold it. Entrepreneurship at its finest! Of course, racists of any time period *always* feel threatened by something & couldn't have black people enjoying freedom AND advancing.

Never fails. Did Black Wallstreet come to mind for you, too?

A bigoted trope was inevitably created by those same people & it spread like wildfire. Here’s where the "lazy, childish, & dirty" comes into play…

1) Watermelon is easily grown & in their minds, no ‘hard work’ is involved. —> Lazy

2) It's messy, so there's a clear absence of table manners (only) when black people eat it. —> Childish/Dirty

It's all so absolutely ridiculous but are you tying it together yet? I could go on & on. Instead, I invite you to do more research & learn about this in depth for yourself.

Hopefully, you'll be more understanding if Black people are hesitant or refuse to eat watermelon around you or in public. It may not be triggering for some but now you know what's up if it is.

On that note, I think I'll head to the farmers market soon to buy peaches. #ILoveFruit