In the spirit of unity and during times of racial strife, it is important to hear the voices of the disadvantaged and voiceless, the least of these and those who are locked out.
Here in Chapel Hill, our alleged Blue Heaven, some colleagues and neighbors mask their hate of Black people with charitable gifts and polite platitudes. We see you. To that end, I share with you a voice of many Black people who know and feel the dislike and venom you spew behind closed doors and while championing a felon in the White House and a victim of an assassination.
Boy. Gal. Slave. Colored. Negro. African American. Black.
You are not welcome here.
Ape. Boogie. Buck. Coon. Darkie. Half-breed. Jiggaboo. Sambo. N*.
Change the name, but you can’t (and won’t) change the game.
You are not welcome here.
CEO. Engineer. Judge. Lawyer. Scientist. Painter. Pastor. Physician. Pilot. Professor.
You are not welcome here.
Shoot the Rock or Pick Six. Ownership not.
You are not welcome here.
70% Congressional House Members are White.
84% Congressional Senators are White.
79% of the corporate executives of Fortune 500 companies are White.
Relative to their participation in the state’s labor market, White men are overrepresented in executive jobs in every state.
In all states, White men are overrepresented in first- and mid-level managerial private sector jobs.
Like executive jobs, managerial access for White men tends to be highest in states with large minoritized populations.
White men have advantaged access to high paying white- and blue-collar jobs in most states.
Among veterans, employers are more likely to hire White veterans than Black.
Real estate wealth and stock equity show the power of intergenerational accumulation concentrating ownership in White families.
In law and contracting (e.g., electricians), nearly 90% are White people.
White individuals or companies own 98% of the 1,374 full-power television stations.
Chefs are 88% White.
Engineers and PhDs are 68% White.
White Supremacy. Colonization. Imperialism. Patriarchy. Manifest Destiny. Civil War. Black Codes. Jim Crow. Advantage. White Christian Nationalism. White Power. White Supremacy.
Revise the rules but who is the fool?
Harriet. Rosa. Thurgood. Maya. MJ. Beyoncé. Denzel. Barack.
You are not welcome here.
Whites open and close more doors than any racial population in the United States.
Whites confer status, define speech, outline merit, and label others.
Whites are and do set the standard.
Whites are welcome.
Slave Rebellion. The Talented Tenth. HBCUs. Black Jesus. Black Hebrews. Civil Rights. Martin. Malcolm. Loving vs. Virginia. African and African American Studies. Critical Race Theory. Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. Belonging.
You are not welcome here.
Freedmen’s Bureau. Reconstruction Amendments. Voting Rights. Set-Asides. American Rescue Plan. Free Speech.
Broken promises. Cruel lies.
Regardless of the number of your White friends, White colleagues, and White family.
You are not welcome here.
Your skin color, dreams, resilience, work ethic, voice, vote, and your very being are a threat to my earned position of advantage, privilege, and worth.
Despite the reality of the dominance of White culture and White power in every system in the United States, you are not welcome here.
You, let’s make this very clear, Black person, are not welcome here.
You, beautiful, brilliant, and bold person of diverse opinions and hues are not welcome here.
You are not welcome here.
You are not welcome here.
You are not welcome here.
Ever.
“This, my dear, is the greatest challenge of being alive: To witness injustice in this world and not allow it to consume our light.” -A. Canaan
References
https://www.umass.edu/employmentequity/race-states-and-mixed-fate-white-men
https://cepr.net/publications/the-continuing-power-of-white-preferences-in-employment/
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/black-wealth-is-increasing-but-so-is-the-racial-wealth-gap/
https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm
Chef Industry – Data mined from the U.S. Census, February 2025
https://www.zippia.com/engineer-jobs/demographics/
“Never Too Far” contains perspectives and insights from an inquisitive and engaged Orange County transplant from Philly. Deborah Stroman is an entrepreneur and UNC leadership professor who has seen too much and not enough, and thus continues to question and explore the thoughts and actions of humankind.
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