Rhetoric Race and Religion
by Kimberly Macharia
When labels are placed onto human beings, something scary happens. They lose their identity. Before they have a chance to defend themselves, judgments have already been made. Labels are demeaning. They make it inherently difficult to be viewed as an individual. Once a person has been gifted with a label, they begin an uphill battle. Sadly, it is not a fair one. It was never meant to be fair. The author of the biblical book Ruth placed labels onto people like Ruth; her labels, like the ones that have been placed upon myself, shape the way members of our respective societies view us.
Ruth is a Moabite. This label means that she is foreign. From a modern perspective, the word foreign, when applied to women, strings along with it a set of adjectives which include enticing, exotic, and sexy. From a biblical perspective, the word foreign strings along with it another set of adjectives including controversial, dangerous, and nonconforming. Despite the stigma associated with foreign women like herself, Ruth managed to gain the admiration of Boaz. Boaz was from Bethlehem; therefore, he was an Israelite. His fondness for her was as shocking to Ruth as it would have been to the original audience of this passage. He displayed genuine concern for Ruth, and her immediate reaction was to question him saying, “Why have I found favor in your sight, that you should take notice of me, when I am a foreigner?” She realized in the presence of someone like him she should be viewed as inferior.
Ruth is a Moabite. However, she is willing to change. Her willingness to adapt is initially made known when she decides to stay with her mother-in-law despite the death of what had originally linked them together: her husband. Furthermore, Ruth did not merely choose to accompany Naomi. She truly desired to adopt Naomi’s beliefs, and Ruth’s determination was undeniably evident as she told Naomi “your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die-there will I be buried.” Adopting Naomi’s beliefs signified that Ruth was no longer a threat to the Israelites. In order to be looked upon favorably by the original audience, it was necessary that Ruth denied who she was and where she came from. This allowed her to later be redeemed and taken as a wife by Boaz. She lucked out and got a happy ending in a foreign society. Ruth succeeded in leading the life of someone who belonged.
Ruth is a Moabite. Her conversion does not change this. Her assimilation into a foreign culture does not change this. Till the end of the book, her title was still Ruth the Moabite. I am afraid that till the day I leave this earth I will be viewed as Kimberly the black woman. I do not have the power to change this. Like Ruth, the way I am perceived by the world is heavily determined by the labels that have been placed upon me. Despite our efforts to conform, our labels will never abandon us.
Kimberly Macharia is a black woman. My assimilation into the white washed world around me does not change that. Yes, coming to terms with this is frustrating, but it does not embitter me. Life has taught me that I cannot rely on the world around me to determine my value. It is irrelevant that the media and the consumers of this media continue to condone labels that portray black women as angry or hypersexual. If I allowed these perceptions that are held against people like me to bother me, my soul would be slaughtered.
Kimberly Macharia is a black woman. I have accepted that when referring to myself as black I must negate stereotypes that say I am ignorant and dangerous. I’ve accepted that when referring to myself as a woman I must negate stereotypes that say I am weak and overemotional. I’ve accepted that when referring to myself as a black woman I must negate stereotypes that say I am mean and bitter. I have accepted that conformity is often not strong enough to combat these stereotypes. Excelling in my academics and taking on positions of leadership should be sufficient, but they just don’t seem to be enough. Yes, there are a multitude of ways in which I can aid people who don’t look like me in their understanding of me, but just because they understand me does not mean they will change the way they view me. My words do not have the power to eradicate the beliefs held against people like me: beliefs that have been instilled within them and continue to be subliminally ground into their minds. And that is okay, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept it. My mind will not let me accept it because the second I do, accept this numbing idea is the second I begin to put my soul into a choke hold. And if I were to do that, I do not think I would give my soul a second chance. I’m sure once the acceptance gripped my mind the screams of my soul to let it live, to let it breathe would go unheard.
I am a black woman. This is my label. It has the power to hurt me, but I have decided that I also have the power to rise above its influence. Society has granted the labels it itself created with so much authority. Nevertheless, in order to safeguard my soul, I do not allow these labels to make me feel inferior. Instead I take pride in my label. In order for anyone else to find value in me, I must first find value in myself.
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