In Search of the African American Nerd - Part 1

Celebrate The African American Nerd
Black Nerds, like rare birds, are illusive indeed; but they are everywhere. In true kinship with their sun-starved counterparts, African American Nerds often isolate themselves with only work to keep them company. So you may rarely see them or even consider that they do in fact exist, except of course, during Black History Month.

Think 'Nerd' and it calls up a Bill Gatesian image: smart, analytical, socially isolated, eye-glass wearing, male and, oh yes.... White. Of course, there was that one African American guy in "Nerds," the movie; but he was simply a dark-tinted clone of the Nerds who got top billing. And everyone remembers Urkel, a TV character brought to life by actor, Jaleel White. Of course White's portrayal of Urkel was a bit over the top as far as Nerds go; but he did help bring Black Nerdism out of the darkness and into the light.

Real life African American Nerds are out there. They are intelligent and well-educated, many with advanced degrees and positions of leadership in hallowed halls of learning from Harvard to Yale. Of course, due to higher education's inherent financial limitations, many Black Nerds must resign themselves to self teaching; and like their formally educated peers, they are always reading, always absorbing, always analyzing everything around them.

African American Nerds are inventors and doctors. They are college professors, statesmen and captains of industry. They are everywhere and it's time to celebrate not only their accomplishments but also the Nerd personalities buried deep within.

Think 'Different'
Everyone stereotypes. Categorization and rationalization allows us to believe we can easily tell friend from foe or cool people from ..... well Nerds; but stereotypical images fail when used to assess the African American Nerd. While traditional Nerd lore (Nerds wear pocket protectors, glasses, bow ties and speak in geeky phrases) may leave you believing you are easily able to identify a Nerd in a crowd, the African American Nerd standing right next to you in the elevator may stymie that Nerd-detecting sensibility. He may strike you only as unidentifiably 'different' from other African Americans you know.

'Different?'
Black Nerds are indeed 'different.' Whether schooled in an urban setting or middle income suburban neighborhood, often the need to be cool, to fit in with their peers, will trump a Nerdish bent. This is especially true in high school where psuedo-cool tendencies allow Black Nerds to hide in plain site.

Out of sheer survival instinct, Black Nerds learn to shun Nerd fashion sense at an early age. Unlike their pale-skinned counterparts who often have a band of geek-friends to help shore up their insecurities, Black Nerds are usually rejected by fellow Blacks, Whites, Asians and Latinos as well.

A Black Nerd's social survival will most certainly depend on his ability to camouflage himself with trendy jeans, stylish shirts and the latest in high tech sports footwear. (This tendency transitions itself in later years to a penchant for designer suits, expensive ties and shiny loafers.)

It's true, you may not recognize an African American Nerd when you see one. Long before young Black Nerds become comfortable in their own skins, they may have already taken on a cooler way of walking and a smoother way of talking, including a systematic reduction of multisyallabic words and intellectual trains of thought that would label them 'Nerd' for sure.

A Brief Look at African American Nerds In History
Nerds of Color are nothing new. Think George Washington Carver, who spent the greater part of a lifetime in isolation while figuring out 300 different ways to use a peanut and a hundred ways to use a sweet potato. NERD.

What about Charles Drew, a pioneer in the use of blood plasma transfusions. His work went on to save many lives. NERD.

Jan Matzeliger's nerdish tendencies led him to a lifetime focus on machinery and shoe-making. His patented invention automated the shoe-making process and revolutionized the footware industry. NERD.

You don't have to reach back into the past to find African American Nerds worthy of celebration. Search contemporary history and daily news. You will find hiding in plain site many African American Nerds you may never have considered before.

Part 2 examines African American Nerds in The News

Source:

http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/charlesdrew.html

http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/janmatzeliger.html

http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/georgewashingtoncarver.html

IMDB.COM - Jaleel White (Urkel)