The “Just Because You’re Black” Question

“Some things can only be learned from experience.”

            Great titles are a competitive advantage for writers and authors. Some would say that my title, “The ‘Just Because You’re Black’ Question,” is great but might be provocative. This could even be considered causing trouble, but much like the late, great John Lewis, I cause ‘Good Trouble.’ The Just Because You’re Black Question to Black people ranks right up there with ‘The Talk’ and being an ‘Only.’ The premise of The Just Because You’re Black Questions rests on the notion that any achievement Black people attain is just because they are Black.

Is It, Just Because I Am Black?

            The short video below features the first Black four-star general in the United States of America, US Air Force General, GEN Daniel ‘Chappie’ James, Jr. Selected and promoted to General in 1975, I was 12 years old, and to me it was the most spectacular thing that had ever happened in my life! I was excited, full of hope and promise, and just knew this was the beginning of a great change in America. In some ways, yes, great changes were happening, but in other ways, no, the same old, same old continued. In 1975, The Just Because You’re Black Question was one of those things that had not changed, and in 2026, it may be even worse and may cause you to think, “Is it just because I am Black?” GEN James cleared that notion up real quick.

NO, It’s NOT Just Because I’m Black

GEN James remarks encapsulate everything I have ever thought or felt when being asked The Just Because You’re Black Question:

1. The question is insulting.
2. My accomplishments are based on something other than my performance.
3. That a single question can eliminate the time, talent, and treasure I invested in bettering myself.
4. How this same singular question assumes away the preparation necessary to engage in and succeed in reaching my objective.
5. That my subsequent actions towards realizing my goals were inconsequential.
6. My successes were based on a series of ‘gifts’ rather than my hard work, blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices.  

Microaggression or Just Life in the US?

“Racism changes its face over time.”

Once overt ISM remarks – racism, sexism, ageism, etc- became unacceptable, the perpetrators needed a new tactic to express themselves. When I was a child, we called the snide, underhanded, and backhanded remarks as subtle racism. Some examples include, but are not limited to:

“Why is your hair ‘like that’?” “Are you sure you can afford that?” “Are you sure you are in the right place?”

Now, those same comments are referred to as microaggressions – “indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group.” Merriam-Webster defined microaggressions as “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority).” Either definition you use does not lessen the impact. Is the ‘Just Because You’re Black’ Question really a microaggression or just life in the United States in 2026?

I hope GEN James’s remarks and this blog give pause to those who have never considered what successful Black people may endure from those who think less of them and the challenges they face on their success journey. NO, it’s NOT just because we are Black. Success is a product of capability, not some innate characteristic, policy, or procedure that one cannot control.

#TheJustBecauseYou’reBlackQuestion #talent #time #sacrifice #hardwork #microaggression #racism