Talkin' white

[IncontRHOllable]

Originally Posted by 1browngirl

Interesting, Soror can you explain more? What did you do differently?

Hey soror, first I changed my name to a more "white" sounding name (now that would make for a good discussion about whether or not names can keep you from progressing in society) so I changed my name to Sarah. If any complaints came in about a Sarah the org knew it was me, although no complaints were ever made. In fact, there was one client who did call the org to lavish compliments on me . Next, I started speaking in a nice "white" southern lady accent. My boss choose southern because he said that people tend to trust southern people more. It worked like a charm. Sad, but true.

[ziasha07]

Originally Posted by IncontRHOllable

Hey soror, first I changed my name to a more "white" sounding name (now that would make for a good discussion about whether or not names can keep you from progressing in society) so I changed my name to Sarah. If any complaints came in about a Sarah the org knew it was me, although no complaints were ever made. In fact, there was one client who did call the org to lavish compliments on me . Next, I started speaking in a nice "white" southern lady accent. My boss choose southern because he said that people tend to trust southern people more. It worked like a charm. Sad, but true.

I too did that hence my user name, It's a combination of my first name (not "ghetto" but not usually found) and my middle name which is very common. When I'm on the phone and people hear my middle name combined with my "white sounding" voice, they assume I'm white.

When I got to high school I told everyone that I wanted to be called by my middle name instead of my first name. It's kind of silly and now I regret doing it. I'm just know realizing how great my first name and all the history behind it. I still like my middle name but I think I'll just keep my birth name in college. However shallow it may seem, I'm not sure yet.

[blackngoldengrl]

I'm loving this topic, it really hits home!

I've got countless examples of "you sound like a white girl" "you talk like a white girl" or "WHY you talk like a white girl?" Funny how I never got accused of talking like that before middle school. My whole family talks like me, including my grandparents! They have different accents b/c they are from PA, but other than that it's the same. I never knew that my intonation was a problem. Funny how my father's friends ( my aunties and uncles who are all Nigerian) never noticed my "white" speech.

When I was younger being accused of "white speech" stung, but I tried to get over it by thinking that some people just dont know how to speak proper English or just don't choose to. When I got to college, I realized a lot of black people talk like me, and I learned more about myself in general. I don't let anyone simplify my blackness to my speech anymore.

[lovehaiku84]

I got this too, starting in middle school when I started at a school where there were more black students than at my elementary school. I was in the Gifted/Talented Program so I had friends of all races, but we all pretty much talked alike. Anyways, one day another black girl at the school came up to me and asked me if I was mixed. I'm like standing there trying to figure out where she was going with this question. I was like um...no. She's like your mom isn't white? Again, no. Finally she just came out with it and said, well why do you talk like that? In my 13 year old mind I'm like WTF? But I just walked away. Anyways being told that I was talking white or trying to act white really used to bother me. Now, after attending an HBCU where plenty of people "talk white" I just say that this is me and I'm not apologizing to anyone for speaking proper english.