Perfection: The Color Standard

Dear Ms. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham,

I was struck by your retelling of the case involving Mr. Arthur Mitchell, a Democratic congressman to the House of Representatives from Illinois - a Black man in the 1930's with first class railroad accommodations while passing through Hot Springs, Arkansas. Neither his status as a Congressman nor the fact that he paid enough money to afford high-quality transportation transcended the color of his skin upon encountering the white train Conductor who told him "it didn't make a damn bit of difference who [he] was... [he] couldn't ride in that a car." In that moment, as in far too many public moments that fill the days of Black men and women, Arthur Mitchell was responsible for the entire African-American race. And, according to the conductor, he fell short of the requirements for first-class seating.
Black people being forcibly ushered to the back cars of American railroad trains, especially in the pre-Civil Rights era, is nothing new. The reason Arthur Mitchell's story is particularly pain-inducing lies in the fact that before this incident, Mitchell was the "exemplary" Black man. He must have studied hard, worked hard, persevered through times of self-doubt as well as endure an ungodly amount of racist back-lash during his ascent to the House of Representatives, all with an 'agreeable' and 'grateful' attitude about him. (This details the Perfection Standard - the requirements white societies place on people of color in order for them to be perceived as deserving of the benefits that accompany being a citizen.) However, every bit of his personal history and accomplishments and agency was trashed within the time it took for a white train conductor to spot him, approach him and degrade him, invoking derogatory language in demanding he move out of his rightful seat.
Not even when people of color obey all the white societal rules, and relinquish their right to embody humanity and make mistakes, are they accepted as worthy individuals. Arthur Mitchell's tale breathes life into an impossibly sad yet entirely common clash of social structures: the Perfection Standard meets the unyielding power of systematic racism.
I thank you for you work in uncovering the painful truths of America's past, truths that many have worked very hard over the course of centuries to ensure they remain buried.