My books are not about how it feels to be a black man. My books are about how it feels to be a human being, and part of what I'm trying to sort out is what we mean - what I mean, what you mean, what everybody in the culture means - when they say 'black man,' or they say 'white person.'
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the universal human experience over racial identities.
John Edgar Wideman's quote reflects on the complexity of human identity, suggesting that while race is a significant aspect of individual experience, his writing aims to reach beyond racial distinctions to explore the commonalities of the human condition. He highlights the need for deeper understanding and communication about race, urging a conversation that includes multiple perspectives on what it means to be both black and white in society.
In practice
In a speech on diversity, one might use this quote to emphasize the shared human experience beyond racial lines.
My aunt Geraldine was the unofficial historian and storyteller. She had all the information about family members and the gossip that came out of the church because we were very much part of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. At family gatherings, the older folk had the floor, had pride of place, and it was their stories I remember.
It is impossible that had Buonaparte descended from a race of vegetable feeders that he could have had either the inclination or the power to ascend the throne of the Bourbons.
Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, great as each may be, their highest comfort given to the sorrowful is a cordial introduction into another's woe. Sorrow's the great community in which all men born of woman are members at one time or another.
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.
When the Englishman speaks of national wealth he means the number of millionaires in the country.
That's all an angel is....an idea of God.
Why do we cling to bigotry? Because bigotry, plainly, is convenient. It is a near-effortless way to both elevate one's stature and make a pity grab in this culture of victims that we have become.
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