Negroland is my name for a small region of Negro America where residents were sheltered by a certain amount of privilege and plenty. Children in Negroland were warned that few Negroes enjoyed privilege or plenty and that most whites would be glad to see them returned to indigence, deference, and subservience. Children there were taught that most other Negroes ought to be emulating us when too many of them (out of envy or ignorance) went on behaving in ways that encouraged racial prejudice.
The burning question of “what is Negroland” is answered almost immediately. This quote is not technically the opening words of the book, but it does comprise the first full paragraph. The significance of this quote is that it quickly establishes a contextual foundation for the reader. It is an informative overview describing for the uninitiated what the author means by the titular term and why that understanding needs to be rapidly introduced in order to situates the fundamental definitions of what it means to grow up in Negroland. What it means to grow up as a black American enjoying the rarity of a sense of privilege and economic security is knowledge which is necessary for the reader to parse all the myriad personal events which the writer will proceed to relate. Ideally, growing up under such circumstances would be nothing but positive, but as with everything associated with African American history, living in Negroland becomes a dual-edged sword.
Caucasian privilege lounged and sauntered, draped itself casually about, turned vigilant and commanding, then cunning and devious. We marveled at its tonal range, its variety, its largesse in letting its humble share the pleasures of caste with its mighty. We knew what was expected of us. Negro privilege had to be circumspect: impeccable but not arrogant; confident yet obliging; dignified, not intrusive.
The dual-edged sword of growing up within the milieu of black privilege is on display here in the form of expectations. The author persistently reiterates the thematic underpinning of the book that gaining the advantage of privilege over the mainstream of black America is not equitable with gaining the advantage of privilege equitable with members of white America belonging to the same economic status. Throughout the text, the narrative will include multiple examples revealing how black privilege requires constant navigation through expectations. While the status of living in Negroland allows for enjoying advantages over poorer blacks at work, in school, and as an American consumer, those very same advantages transform into disadvantages when placed into comparison with even white people from a lower economic status.
“Excessive movements of the body are very ungraceful. Remember that dancing should be done with the feet, not the torso. Do not use the train or public conveyance for grooming which should be done in private quarters. The inconspicuous use of a powder puff or the smoothing of ruffled hair is all right.”
This quote is from a book written by Charlotte Hawkins Brown in 1941 titled The Correct Thing: To Do—To Say—To Wear. The author of Negroland quotes extensively from this tome that was an etiquette and behavior guide directed toward African Americans. Margo Jefferson points out that it is a comprehensive template for not just what to do, but how to think and feel. Ultimately, it becomes clear that handbooks and guides such as Brown’s transformed into an existential roadmap for living in Negroland. Jefferson’s inclusion of direct quotes and extended analysis illustrates how easy it is to forge theory into practice. In this case, the theory of how to be a black person living in a society dominated by whites advised for the most part to take on a persona of submission and acquiescence toward whites. The kicker comes with the unvarnished truth about why this particular advice was being doled out with the addition of a very specifically targeted quote from Brown’s book suggesting that following the rules of etiquette she outlines makes it possible to interact with white strangers with an absence of “fear or dread.”
