"Qui Est Jim Crow?"

In honor of Black History Month the West African Cultural Center is hosting films every Friday throughout the month. This past Friday the screened The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow and hosted a discussion afterward.The documentary served as a reminder of the tragic past and the tragedies that still exist today. However, the terrorizing images and touching interviews of the movie were not the most memorable. For me, the reactions of the other viewers stood out the most.

Thanks to my parents, my church family, and my extended family in the Greater Lansing black community I had already been exposed to these ugly truths. This was nothing new, just a reminder. But it was an entirely different experience for those in the audience who were just having their eyes opened.

"Walter White était blanc ou noir?" ("Was Walter White white or black?")

The first comment introduced a cultural difference that I had never realized. Walter White, a leader of the NAACP and civil rights activist, is rather fair-skinned by anyone's standards. So much so that he was able to pass in order to investigate lynchings for the NAACP. In the minds of many of the viewers he was far more white than black which caused them confusion. However, in the Jim Crow South the One Drop Rule reigned supreme deeming White just as colored as his darker colleagues.

"Qui est Jim Crow?" ("Who is Jim Crow?")

This was the last question of the night and one that many African Americans cannot answer, however, this was the first I had ever heard anyone make the inquiry. Many just accept the term Jim Crow without knowing that it got its origins as a popular minstrel song and dance which then evolved into a derogatory term for anything related to African Americans before being ascribed to the system of legal segregation. In this moment I noticed that it was a question that I should have heard many times before but hadn't. Some of the other fellows, Howard educated African Americans, who were there with me were also unaware of Jim Crow's origins. I was intrigued by how someone from a similar yet different culture could pose such a poignant question that often goes unasked.

That being said, the highlight of my night was yet to come.

"J'ai compris!" ("I understood!")

Upon reflection I came to the revelation that I understood the majority of the discussion that had taken place – in French! As many of you know, when I arrived in Senegal in August I did not know any French other than a few words and phrases that had entered the American lexicon. Now, here I was actively listening and comprehending most of the dialogue regardless of the fact that session was being held in French. I still can only formulate the simplest of sentences and mostly speak in phrases but the ability to understand what others say is a big milestone for me. J'ai compris!