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- DictionaryBlack·ness/ˈblaknəs/
noun
- 1. the property or quality of being black in color: "it restores gray hair to blackness"
- 2. the fact or state of belonging to any human group having dark-colored skin: "my experiences have made me far more aware of my blackness than ever before"
Blackness. BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS. BLACK CULTURAL TRADITION. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Blackness is first a descriptive category that refers to people of African descent and the degree to which they look like the African stereotype before and after their biological mixture with other groups in the Atlantic world.
the quality of being very dark, or an area of darkness: She walked over to the window and looked out into the blackness. I was surrounded by blackness and silence. Synonym. darkness. Fewer examples. His eyes could not penetrate the utter blackness. You can imagine my panic in the complete blackness of the tunnel.
The concept of blackness in the United States has been described as the degree to which one associates themselves with mainstream African-American culture, politics, and values. To a certain extent, this concept is not so much about race but more about political orientation, culture and behavior.
Definition of blackness noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
- Black
- Ethnic Minority
- African
- Mixed Race
- White-Sounding Forename
- Black-Sounding Surname
- Coloured
- Ebony
- Cool
- Angry
I’ve been black since about 1988, when I was colouring in pictures of priests at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic primary school in Brixton Hill, south London. I remember it well. We were sharing tables and colouring pencils and I looked up to find that there were no more “skin colour” pencils available in the pencil pot. By “skin colour”, I mean a sh...
The phrase “ethnic minority” has to be the biggest oxymoron since “crash-landing” or “casual sex”. If you take “ethnic” as meaning culturally or genetically non‑European, then most of the world is ethnic. Which makes an ethnic minority a global majority. If you take it at dictionary value, however, as in relating to cultural, racial or genetic orig...
In 2018, the film Black Panther very quickly established itself as a cultural phenomenon. Let’s not underplay this: in 2018, the coolest superhero out was African, accent and all, and he just happened to have the same name as a revolutionary organisation that sought black empowerment and social justice. In this, Black Panther is an echo of a very p...
You see words such as “nigger”, “coon”, “wog” and “darkie” and you freeze up in anticipation of the big kaboom. Then you see “mixed race” and it’s sigh-of-relief time. Something mild, something easy. A respite from all the spiky abrasions and explosive taboos. But “mixed race”is an improvised explosive device in disguise. Its suggestion is that the...
Through no fault of my own, I have the kind of name reserved for white men who wear stiff jeans and nod out of rhythm to guitar-based soft rock. I have the name of a British or American white male born in the early to mid-20th century, despite having two parents who list English as a second language. When my parents, two black Ghanaians (who had de...
Pronouncing my surname is a challenge that most people fail. At worst, you get some variation of bo‑ah‑kie, with a hard “k”; understandable if you don’t realise that the Ashanti pronunciation of “kye” is actually “chi” as in chips. Next best is “bo-a-chee”, which is almost there, but not quite right. This is the one I have settled on in my professi...
Here’s a joke I remember from the hazy, pre-Googlable corners of my childhood: When I was born, I was black. When I got older, I was black. When I’m sick, I’m black. When I go out in the sun, I’m black. When I’m cold, I’m black. When I die, I’ll be black. When you were born, you were pink. When you got older, you became white. When you’re sick, you...
As far as pornography goes, “Ebony” might just be another category, but the view of black sexuality in the white gaze is deeply problematic. For white men and women interested in black sex, the black body is taboo. That’s where the intrigue comes from, surely, that the black sexualised body has an illicit appeal. Historically, this perception of bl...
The Cool Black Myth helps the white mainstream to understand and handle black identity. There’s something enigmatic about blackness that, coupled with the illicit appeal of black culture, makes black people seem cool by default, without even really trying. In my short time on this planet so far, I’ve had people congratulate me on how cool my hair i...
Could you tone it down a bit? You’re being a bit aggressive. Do you have to be so loud? It’s quite overbearing. You do realise you can sometimes make people feel a bit uncomfortable. You need to be a little softer. You’re passionate, I understand, but your manner can put people off. Stop shouting. It’s a bit … intimidating. So goes one of the most ...
- Jeffrey Boakye
Anti-Black Racism. Anti-Blackness as being a two-part formation that: both strips Blackness of value (dehumanizes), and; systematically marginalizes Black people. This form of anti-Blackness is overt racism. Society also associates politically incorrect comments with the overt nature of anti-Black racism.
4 days ago · noun. 1. the quality or state of being black. 2. (cap) the quality or state of being a Black person. Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Word origin. [ 1300–50; ME; see black, -ness] Examples of 'blackness' in a sentence. blackness.
