In 1895, Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote a song titled, “We Wear The Mask”. The song was a chilling metaphor of post-slavery America. It spoke to the fact that, while slavery had ended, there was still hardship faced by Black Americans. The “mask” in the poem represented putting on a happy face to hide the suffering of the wearer. It says the mask “grins and lies” because of the uncertainty of the time and the future for Black people.
Fast forward to 2020, and a deadly pandemic has Black Americans still facing uncertainty about our future. The virus has disproportionately affected our communities, with death rates being at least 2.4 times higher than that of Whites. For a group representing only 13% of the US population, dying from a new, untreatable disease could have a disastrous effect on our community and economy. How can we reverse this trend? How can we save our grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, etc. from dying unnecessarily? Paul Laurence Dunbar told us in 1895.
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Wear a mask…
Now, if you’re anything like me, wearing a mask over your face is the last thing you want to do. It’s cumbersome, makes it difficult to breathe, and doesn’t match anything I wear. All that, and there are other more serious considerations, like making White Americans more uncomfortable because they can’t see my entire face. Wearing a mask is already hard enough. Wearing a mask while Black can lead to another unnecessary hashtag. #WearingAMaskWhileBlack
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So what do we do? Do we ignore one danger because of the potential of another? Or do we stand up for ourselves and each other and wear a mask? One of the things I have learned over my life is caring for yourself is paramount to caring for others. Those two things cannot be separated even though one sounds self-ish, while the other sounds self-less. My response is this: How can you take care of someone else when you haven’t proven you can take care of yourself?
Wearing a mask can’t be politicized. It also cannot be flipped into some bizarre badge of courage to prove how tough we are, or how rebellious we are in the face of danger. No, wearing a mask should be the reflection of one thing and one thing only. Common sense. But if you still need them, here are a few tips to make mask wearing more bearable:
- Buy several in different colors or patterns. Look at your wardrobe and buy masks to match what you wear. In other words, make mask wearing stylish.
- If you know someone who has passed from the disease, write their name(s) on your mask. This is a reminder for you and everyone around you that the virus is real and wearing a mask should be mandatory for everyone.
- Find your mask. I found a mask that allows me to breathe more easily and has a little bit of style. It has velcro wraps so I can take it on and off quickly. I can’t tell you how many times people ask me about it and where I got it from? That social recognition makes it just a bit easier to keep wearing my mask.
I often wonder what Paul Laurence Dunbar would do if he were living in today’s times? Would he marvel more at the technology or the social advances Black Americans have made? I think he would recognize that the more things have changed, many things for Black Americans have stayed the same. The number one thing that hasn’t changed is we have to look out and care for each other to ensure our survival. He would look at his 125 year old lyrics and recognize their importance today.
Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us while, We wear the mask.
