30 Times A Non-Black Person Tried To Pay A Black Woman A Compliment And Was So, Soooo Misguided

3.

“My best friend, whom I’ve known since fourth grade, is a dark-skinned, Black woman. She absolutely hates when people tell her that she isn’t like other Black people, she’s ‘one of the good ones,’ and when she asks them to explain what they mean by that, they either immediately start trying to backpedal their comment, or sheepishly say that she’s not ‘ghetto.’ People act like being able to code-switch your demeanor for different situations makes her better than other Black people, which is bullshit.”

“This woman has a master’s in archaeology, studied abroad in England, is one of the kindest people I know, has a great sense of humor, and white people tell her that they like her because she’s different than their idea of what Black people should be! That’s effed up on so many levels.”

—Anonymous, 24, Virginia