How Dr. Imani Perry's “Black in Blues” Inspires a New Understanding of Identity
Lately, I have been thinking about what White American and white culture are. I have not spent the time to do enough research on the topic but have spent time pondering the culture’s values, traditions, and habits. Living in the United States of America, I believe we are swimming in White American culture, and it is hard to name what you are swimming in. I have been internally questioning: How am I being shaped, influenced, or formed by it? Also, I have been thinking through: How can white, a color, be a culture? White is nowhere to be found on a map but has become a dominant group influencing much of American society. It appears to me that many cultures tied to geographic locations in the world, such as Italians, Germans, Irish, Scots, and other Europeans, traded many aspects of their cultural identity to assimilate to being white once the social construct of race became the way of relating to one another in the U.S. While I still desire to do more research on the topic, I have found myself setting it aside as I began reading Dr. Imani Perry’s Black in Blues.
Dr. Perry’s book caused me to reflect in the reverse: What does it mean to be Black? Many say every Black American has to think about this question, but I hadn’t examined it critically enough—at least not in the ways that Dr. Perry presented it to me through her book. Her work is scattered with American and international stories, some of which offer powerful reflections on how a color became a culture and what being that color has meant to us historically and today. Dr. Perry presents these ideas in a poetic way, as is her style. She entrances you with her words, leading you to curiosity and pondering their meaning. She does this in the most creative and imaginative way by telling the story of being Black through the color blue. The book allows you to see how blue is entangled with the history of being Black, from the indigo plantations to artistic choices. While reading, I couldn’t help but think about how much my wife loves the color blue and how she had us paint our living room walls a dark ocean blue. The interior of her parents’ house is the same blue.
The deep blue of our Phoenix condo (which we're selling soon to move to Durham) reflects our ancestors' journey across the ocean—a passage of struggle and survival.
I began to consider how this love of blue may have been passed down in her family. According to the book, blue was a color loved by West Africans even before the Transatlantic slave trade, as it appeared in their fashion choices. I began to imagine just how long the color blue had been a favorite in my wife’s family; perhaps it was a color that her kidnapped ancestors loved because it reminded them of their humanity. Perhaps one way they preserved their humanity was through this color preference, along with the oral stories passed down about life in West Africa and the blue beads worn as a fashion choice. Just as this color blue may have been passed down, so was the interpretation of what it means to be Black. Historically in the U.S., being Black was negative. It meant enslavement, or it meant separation. It was and still can be viewed as a negative and hard thing to be. It is still often seen as threatening or dangerous.
To me, to use the word Black proudly is to protest and call what society has deemed ugly actually beautiful. Although Blackness is not a monolith (which Dr. Perry gives ample room for in her book), every Black person in America must do the work to tell themselves that in order to fall in love with themselves. Perhaps my premier curiosity about what Whiteness is was actually a trick from the empire, keeping me from knowing and embracing myself. Dr. Perry’s book Black in Blues was timely for me. While I still find it important to examine White American culture, I have temporarily paused my inquiry to focus more intentionally on my own Black identity and its complexities. This shift allows me to fully appreciate the mosaic of Blackness, which society often oversimplifies or devalues. Dr. Perry’s work has inspired me to embrace this shift and remind myself that Black is indeed beautiful, powerful, and worthy of celebration.
It is with this thought and motivation going forward that we at BLK South will highlight the beautiful and tragic stories and reflections that have happened and are happening in historic Black neighborhoods and communities across the South. With Dr. Perry’s permission, we titled the podcast South to America, named after her previous book! Being Black and living in the South means navigating a landscape that is both deeply rooted in pain and profoundly rich in culture, resilience, and joy. It’s a place where the weight of history meets the vibrant expressions of contemporary Black life. Through the South to America podcast, we at BLK South aim to honor this duality by amplifying the voices, stories, and experiences that reflect the complex tapestry of Black existence in the South and the trials and victories within historic Black communities.
The podcast will serve as a platform to reclaim narratives, celebrate the sacredness of Black culture, and explore how these communities continue to shape and be shaped by the broader American story. Each episode will dive into the nuances of Black identity, the intersections of art, justice, and theology, and the ways these historic neighborhoods foster both healing and innovation.
Being Black and living in the South is not just a geographical reality; it’s a cultural and spiritual journey. South to America will reflect on what it means to belong to this legacy while actively participating in the reimagining of these sacred spaces. Through this work, we hope to inspire others to see the beauty in Blackness, our communities, and the power of telling our own stories.
