I was reading an article on black’s law dictionary, which was available for free online at the New York Times for a couple of weeks. The author had a question about how to apply its definitions to everyday life. I don’t believe I was the only one who said things like “you want to be a black, but you don’t have to be a black” or “the most important thing about black people is they’re not black.
The title has a few variations.
Black is more than skin deep, it’s more than skin color. It’s a way of being that you take for granted. It’s a way of being that you don’t feel the need to point out in the face of a slight in order to get a nice, pleasant apology. It’s a way of being that you don’t have to be nice to people in the hopes that one day they’ll stop being nice to you.
The third edition of black’s legal dictionary has a few changes. First, it has a section on the law of black culture from the perspective of black people. Second, it features a new section specifically dedicated to black lawyers. Third, it features a new section specifically dedicated to black judges. Fourth, it features a new section specifically dedicated to black political leaders.
The third edition is a big change from the previous two, and I think it’s important to note that this third edition is much more extensive. It has an extensive section on the history and culture of black people, such as the history of black music, a section on the history and culture of black politics, and a section on the history and culture of black religion.
It’s also important to note that, while this third edition is more extensive, the previous two editions were not. The section on the history and culture of black people is actually very small in this third edition, and there is no section on the history and culture of black politics. That’s not to say the third edition isn’t valuable, just that there isn’t much to it.
The third edition is more extensive in that it has a section on black politics, history, and religion, and that section is also larger than in the first two editions. It also has a section on black music. A lot of the first two editions had a section on black music that was pretty small and rarely read. This third edition has a new section on black music, and there is also a section on black history.
The new section on black politics is actually quite extensive, with an entire chapter about the Black Panther Party, black history, and black politics. As a history/politics/music geek, I found that fascinating. For the record, Black Panther was my own personal favorite hip-hop group in the early aughts, and there are several things I’m proud of about their work that have nothing to do with any political agenda. I’ll let the rest of you judge.
As such, I found the whole section on black politics to be one of the most interesting sections in the book, and the fact that it is one of the main sections to be included in this edition of black’s law, adds to my excitement.
I agree that every group needs a black voice. There are always people who feel a need to be heard, and I think there is a lot of good in being a minority, but there are also voices that are not really there to speak for a minority community, because they are not invested in making it a better place. It’s easy to start a movement, but it’s hard to maintain it.