First things first, rest in peace to Muhammad Ali. The GOAT boxer passed away on June 3rd at the age of 74. As expected the world responded to the death of Ali. There has been a lot of discussion on what he meant to the nation for being who he was, apologetically.
There's also been talk about how Ali - who changed his birth name from Cassius Clay when he converted to Islam in '74 - "transcended his race and religion." NBC News wrote: "Ali was an anti-establishment showman who transcended borders and barriers, race and religion." It's easy to look right past this and move on with our day, but let's not ignore this. What does it mean to transcend?
According to Google: transcend (verb) be or go beyond the range of limits of (something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division).
Cool. Race or religion are not conceptual fields. Especially not in this case. Muhammad Ali changed his name in the name of his RELIGION. He didn't transcend it, he willingly adhered to it!
My issue with the expression of "transcending race" is that it alludes to the fact that being black (or non-white) is some sort of barrier. Now, I am not denying the difficulties that come with being anything but white, but I believe these two ideas are separate. Telling someone that they transcend who they (based on the color of their skin) are is never a compliment, and it wouldn't be said to those with white skin. Period.
Love and admiration for our black and brown celebrities without putting on shades and seeing us in all gray. Love me for being me and black.
It's foolish to believe that many comments like these are meant to be nasty or mean, but what does it mean to transcend? Become white? Translucent?
Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Muhammad Ali reached many people, but they were still black. They did not transcend race. Remember that.
All we want is to be seen as who we are without thoughts of inadequacy attached to it.
What does transcending race mean to you? Do you believe there is such a thing? Your thoughts are welcomed below.