The Myth of Black Excellence: When Success Isn’t Enough
Barack Obama. Oprah Winfrey. Meghan Markle. Lewis Hamilton.
We celebrate these figures as proof that racial barriers can be broken. But does individual success truly dismantle systemic inequality or just make the barriers less visible?
Obama’s presidency didn’t end racism in America.
Meghan Markle marrying into royalty didn’t change the monarchy’s colonial legacy.
Lewis Hamilton is the most decorated F1 driver in history yet remains the only Black competitor in the sport.
Black exceptionalism demands perfection. Black people must achieve extraordinary feats just to be considered worthy but even then, they are met with scrutiny, suspicion, and resentment.
Meanwhile, failure is a privilege afforded to others.
Donald Trump: Bankruptcies, scandals, legal troubles, and a history of discriminatory rhetoric yet he still became President.
Elon Musk: Business failures, erratic leadership, and accusations of workplace discrimination yet he remains a billionaire hailed as a visionary.
Charli D'Amelio & Alix Earle: Built multimillion-dollar brands on relatability, while Black influencers like Jackie Aina & Patricia Bright must constantly justify their success just to remain visible.
The same pattern exists in entrepreneurship.
Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs yet receive less than 1% of venture capital funding.
Black founders don’t get the luxury of failing forward they’re expected to be exceptional from day one.
So here’s the question:
Does celebrating Black excellence create real progress, or does it simply pacify demands for systemic change by highlighting isolated success stories?
I explore this paradox in my latest Substack article.
Read more here 👇🏾
