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“I think this, in part, explains the screaming and fainting. Jackson cranked up ‘Billie Jean’ and I

felt it too. For when I saw Michael Jackson glide across the stage that night at Madison Square

Garden, mere days before the Twin Towers fell, I did not imagine him so much walking on the

moon, as walking on water. And the moonwalk was the least of things. He whipped his mop of

hair and, cuffing the mic, stomped with the drums, spun, grabbed the air. I was astounded. There

was the matter of his face, which took me back to the self-hatred of the ’80s, but this seemed not

to matter because I was watching a miracle—a man had been born to a people who controlled

absolutely nothing, and yet had achieved absolute control over the thing that always mattered

most—his body.

And then the song climaxed. He screamed and all the music fell away, save one solitary drum,

and boneless Michael seemed to break away, until it was just him and that “Billie Jean” beat,

carnal, ancestral. He rolled his shoulders, snaked to the ground, and then backed up, pop-locked,

seemed to slow time itself, and I saw him pull away from his body, from the ravished face, which

wanted to be white, and all that remained was the soul of him, the gift given onto him, carried in

the drum.”

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The Body Is Forever Left Behind.

Introduction:

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an African-American writer whose body of work focuses on the

manifestation of racism and its toll on black “bodies.” In his previous article, “Letter to My

Son,” Coates highlights the blithe lifestyle of Whites and the effects of racial bigotry on the

Blacks, which are subdued to various forms of abuse and violence. In this article “I’m Not Black,

I’m Kanye,” however, he explores the effects of fame and success on the erasing of black

identities. Coates explains that this phenomenon has long existed among black celebrities and

that it has caused him to feel a sense of loss of his own. In my chosen passage, he introduces his

article by referencing an anecdote of his first time viewing Michael Jackson perform live. Coates

describes his astonishment and amazement as he watches MJ moonwalking to the beat of “Billie

Jean.” Nonetheless, as Coates reflects on such celebrities, he seems to be finding that with the

rise of black celebrities, comes the fall of their very own identities.

Zoom In:

Coates argues that internalized racism causes the decay of black bodies. As he narrates

Jackson’s performance, he uses violent and bold words: “he whipped… cuffing… stomped…

grabbed...,” which ironically are similar to the words used to describe the violence African

American slaves were subdued to despite being used by Coates to simply recreate the overall

image of MJ’s dancing. This demonstrates that behind the success of Jackson is that lingering

legacy of slavery. In fact, Jackson’s now-white face reminded Coates of the self-hatred in the

1980s; hence, it is inferred that due to internalized racism, Michael Jackson erased his

“blackness.” Moreover, Coates’ astonishment was not limited to MJ’s dance moves, but also the
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miracle he symbolized: MJ “had achieved absolute control over the thing that always mattered

most—his body.” Jackson's moonwalk is a symbol of liberty because learning how to moonwalk

takes time & effort as it is something that is hard to do. The fact that a black has perfected it by

literally taking control of his body movements symbolizes his complete power, authority, and

right on his body, which was exceptional during that time period as black “bodies” were used by

white people; similarly to how Africans were brought in as slaves used by Americans. However,

as his body was what “always mattered most,” he “pull[ed] away from his [black] body, from the

ravished face, which wanted to be white, and all that remained was the soul of him.” Michael

Jackson has stripped himself away from his black identity and ascended from--and only from the

thrill and ecstasy of finally being as free as a white man, who is able to “moonwalk,” thanks to

his achievement of absolute control. Coates explains that MJ is not the first to bleach his body,

many other black celebrities have done so to gain what he calls the “white freedom.”

Zoom Out:

Coates references Kanye West too, an African American composer and singer, as he

discusses his sense of loss that came with the loss of black celebrities. After West was rebuked

for his controversial statements, he claimed that he is simply exercising his right to be a “free

thinker,” in which Coates responds with “...and he is, indeed, championing a kind of

freedom….freedom without consequence, freedom without criticism, freedom to be proud and

ignorant….a conqueror’s freedom, freedom of the strong built on antipathy or indifference to the

weak.” In his other body of work, “Letter to My Son,” Coates describes living as a white person

is blithely living; in other words, the “ignorance is bliss”-type of mentality. Hence, the “freedom

to be proud and ignorant...a conqueror's freedom” refers to Whites as they are the ones who

conquered America through the pillage of the Natives. This demonstrates that those who rose to
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be as “equal” as the Whites are the same people who have fallen to the hands of “self-hatred”

and given up on their body. Overall, Coates expresses his despair because he realizes that as

Blacks rise in power, their “African [bodies]” are left behind at “The Bottom,” which brings

about the idea that black people will never be able to be as equal to white as long as they are

black.

Personal:

Although I identify as a Muslim Arab, I seem to be protected by my fair, white skin. So

as someone who is thankfully considered “higher,” I do not and cannot fully understand or

empathize with the racial minorities and how harsh and unjust their lives are. Yet, it infuriates me

how one’s identity causes detrimental effects on its owners. It is unfair that blacks have rights,

justice, equality, privileges taken away simply due to the color of skin or race; especially since

this is not a recent phenomenon. Blacks who have gained power and risen in the social hierarchy

placed by white supremacists at some point in their lives have all “bleached” and “whitened”

themselves, as if pressured and brainwashed by the racist society to make them think that they

are less valuable if they are black. Although I do not remember a time where I personally felt

hatred towards myself in terms of color of skin, I do remember a friend of mine who did. She

believed that being fair-skinned or white was the only way she could be beautiful despite

believing that every skin color is equal to each other. She would not belittle those who are P.O.C.

nor was she racist, but she did always compete between me to see who had a lighter tone. I

believe that due to social media and the internet, she began to hate herself as she was up to

“standards.” The effects of this internalized racism unfortunately causes the downfall and

obliteration of identities and even whole communities as they start to “assimilate” into more

dominant and powerful cultures.

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Works Cited.

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. “Ta-Nehisi Coates: Kanye West in the Age of Donald Trump.” The Atlantic,

22 May 2018,

www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/05/im-not-black-im-kanye/559763.