Once again, the one and only Dr. Umar Johnson has made headlines; this time is for the exchange he had during an interview on the Roland Martin show. Overall, I felt the interview portion by Roland Martin was the typical question and answer session one would expect of a host and their guest. Roland asked Dr. Johnson a range of tough questions to break down all the backlash Dr. Johnson was receiving from an earlier interview he did with The Breakfast Club. Unfortunately, the Roland Martin interview took a turn for the worse and became more of an attack session on Dr. Johnson when the panelists were brought in. Only A. Scott Bolden was composed and actually tried to listen to Dr. Johnson for understanding, and not just listen to respond. Also, despite Roland questioning Dr. Johnson on a variety of topics, the panelists did not want to talk about anything other than Dr. Johnson’s stance on inter-racial marriage. Dr. Johnson strongly believes in order to save the Black family, Black men must choose to commit to and marry a Black woman.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe a person should love who they want and who makes them feel as if they are the only person that matters on the planet. There is no greater feeling than to find that special someone who you connect with mentally, spiritually, and physically, no matter what ethnic background they come from. However, I also see truth in what Dr. Johnson says. How can you create a Black family if both parents are not Black? Simple, you can’t. Dr. Johnson was not saying anything was wrong with inter-racial couples and families, he was just stating the increased trend of Black men marrying non-Black women is detrimental to the preservation and strengthening of the Black family unit as a whole.
Other ethnic groups marry within their ethnic group all the time without receiving backlash. As for me, I am Black. My mom is Black. My dad is Black. My sister is Black. My aunties, uncles, and cousins are Black. In the words of James Brown, I’m Black and I’m Proud! I have dreams of marrying a nice chocolate Black man and having Black children who we will teach to love the skin they’re in because unfortunately there will be times society will make our future children feel like being Black is a bad thing, when in actuality being Black is truly nothing to be ashamed of. I do not think loving who I am and wanting to marry someone who has similar cultural roots should be viewed as a problem, but I digress.
My main issue with Dr. Johnson is not what he says, but how he says it. Many times I do not like the extremist delivery Dr. Johnson chooses to take in his speeches and videos. Also, when called out for inconsistencies (i.e. lack of financial transparency for the school he’s trying to build), Dr. Johnson tends to become rude and dismissive, which rubs me the wrong way. However, I do believe every movement needs an extremist or someone to be labeled as radical who viciously shakes you out of your comfort zone. Dr. Umar Johnson takes on that role for Pan-Afrikanism. Now as much I am not the biggest fan of Dr. Umar Johnson’s message delivery, I must say I always learn at least one thing from him whenever he speaks. During his interview, Dr. Johnson clarified that Mandarin is taught as a secondary language in the South African School Systems. Knowing that China has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and also has one of the world’s largest military, I thought South Africa is on to something. South Africa is being forward thinking and preparing their students, who will be their future leaders, to conduct business with the Chinese. We in America love to excessively dwell in our greatness as “leaders of the free world.” We expect others to adapt and accommodate us when we work and travel overseas, and not put in the effort to figure out the country’s proper customaries and language. For example, how many times have you been on vacation abroad and witnessed arrogance mixed with frustration of fellow Americans who are mad no one around speaks English or does things the ‘American way”? I’ll wait…
Overall, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, even a ‘radial’ thinker like Dr. Johnson. Interviews that are considered good journalism seek to understand the interviewee’s stance rather than attacking and trying to get the interviewee to change their opinion on the subject being discussed. In this regard, Roland Martin and his panelists failed.
Video: Roland Martin Dr. Umar Johnson Interview
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1. I don’t support Roland Martin or “Dr” Umar. Both are trash misogynistic hotep clowns to me.
But on that note, I do want a Black ass husband and black ass babies. But that’s my personal preference. I just couldn’t be with someone who doesn’t understand what it means to be black in this world.
Love this topic. Really dislike Dr. umar. Never even consumed anything with Roland, as I’m sure I’ll end up needing an aspirin.
Personally my dream is to be with a black man because there’s nothing sexier in my eyes. I want to love on, nurture, and grow & reproduce with a black man. However, I’ve been told many times that I’ve priced myself out of the market to be with a black man. Maybe the people who have told me this are haters, maybe they’re soothsayers. I don’t know and at this point I’ve been single for so long I sadly almost don’t care. So if a white man comes my way, I’m not going to shut him down simply because he’s white (isn’t that doing exactly what WE don’t want done to us?). I’ll be reluctant for sure. The last time I went on a date with a white guy he told me he “obsessed over [my] face and skin all semester because I looked exotic.” When he saw my reaction he told me not to freak out that he just thought I was so beautiful and he’s always had a thing for black women because his caretaker growing up was a black woman. I GOT UP AND WENT HOME.
This is rude at best and racist at worst. (Btw, this was an avid Hillary supporter).If I was with a black man I probably wouldn’t hear something like that. I say probably because black men have told me I look “exotic” and/ or asked what I’m mixed with because of my facial features and “pretty” hair. I saw all this to say: I’m going to be with whoever I can fully love and can intergrate into my family. I just can’t be with a man I have to explain my struggle to. My father is Senegalese but I’d never be with any kind of African man, why? Because I always have to explain racism AND feminism to Africans. I’m not signing up for that. I’m sure there are African men who understand both struggles. I just haven’t met him yet. I’m sure the are white men Who can understand and sympathize with my black struggle. I haven’t met him yet either.
I’m a black woman; no matter who I marry, if we have children, they will be black. My family will be black. The structure just may be different. They can have a white daddy we may even be in a predominantly white neighborhood but we will be the proudest black family on the block and the children will go to Howard, no negotiations. I don’t care if they get a full ride to Princeton, theyre going to Howard!
I will love and have a blackity-black-black family with whoever comes my way. I pray when I roll over in the morning to look at my husband I see a shade of chocolate and not paper mache but if I do, it won’t be the end of the world. Jesse Williams’ mom is white. He turned out black, FINE, and active.
Lastly, you can not be about the black family structure and be okay with Mandarin being taught in African schools. What China is doing in Africa is a sin against humanity AND a attempt to break up the black family. when projects and agreements in Africa reach a certain dollar amount the Chinese government only send men to head the project so that they’ll end up marrying an African woman and producing Chinese property; don’t believe me? Look it up. They’re not teaching Mandarian to expand these kids’ horizons. They’re ENFORCING Mandarin so that the kids have nowhere else to go but China. Sound a little like colonization?
I am probably not supposed to be, or allowed to be, but this kind of offends me.
Because I’m a white guy, I’m not supposed to love black women? If I do, I’m helping to destroy black families?
If the words “black” and “white” were switched in the article, it would sound like a Klansman.
Life is short, and love is love. Find someone who makes you happy, regardless of your skin color.
Lol! This comment is exactly why the author wishes to espouse another black person. How and why did you read this and make this about your feelings being hurt because someone is telling you as a white ma…this is soooo stupid that I’m not going to entertain it any further. Above I said I would consider being with a white man and would be okay if I was. You made it clear for me, I won’t consider it and I definitely don’t want it.
Even when you give white people the benefit of the doubt they find a way to disrupt your trust and faith in them. Thats ridiculous.
I read this a few days ago…great topic! Dr. Johnson makes a valid point. His narratives are different from a lot of mainstream scholars…he doesn’t care about being politically correct but conveys his truth. I very much respect that. Dr. Johnson promotes systematic empowerment for black people…in a country where our culture and worth has been stripped; nothing wrong with that. From a biblical perspective I believe that love/having a family has nothing to do with race. However, from a Pan – Africanist perspective…. in efforts to sustain black families, I agree.
People are often quick to attack radical individuals instead of taking the time to listen. Some might even get offended…the truth sometimes hurts.