RACISM

Why Some See Successful Black People as an Existential Threat

The success of Black people violates racist presumptions

Dr. Allison Wiltz
Momentum
Published in
7 min readNov 25, 2024

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African woman posing in a studio wearing a jean dress | Photo by Nino Sanger via Pexels

To some White people, the very image of successful Black people is threatening. Confronted with their blossoming human potential, the stereotypes that characterize Black people as lazy, violent, ignorant, and uncivilized are stripped of their power. Rather than confront this cognitive dissonance, some stand as gatekeepers, blocking access to opportunities. Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote in his memoir, The Message, "It may seem strange that people who already attained a position of power through violence invest so much time justifying their plunder with words." And yet, "a story must be told, one that raises a wall between themselves and those they seek to throttle and rob." Simply put, the subjugation of Black people in America has always required a justification, namely that the failures of the black community had nothing to do with the racism they endured. This mythology is central to understanding resistance to racial progress.

Take, for instance, the tragedy experienced by Ben Daniels and his two sons in 1879 after he tried to make a purchase at an Arkansas store with a fifty-dollar bill. Since the White merchant assumed no Black person could honestly acquire that much money, they notified…

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Momentum
Momentum

Published in Momentum

Momentum is a blog that captures and reflects the moment we find ourselves in, one where rampant anti-Black racism is leading to violence, trauma, protest, reflection, sorrow, and more. Momentum doesn’t look away when the news cycle shifts.

Dr. Allison Wiltz
Dr. Allison Wiltz

Written by Dr. Allison Wiltz

Black womanist scholar with a PhD from New Orleans, LA with bylines in Oprah Daily, Momentum, ZORA, Cultured. #WEOC Founder

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