55 White People Share Their Absolute Favorite Things About Black People

Mine is really specific. When I was 16, I got delayed for a flight. A man (a local teacher) was chatting me up. Again I was 16 and thought it was friendly.

When he got up to get a drink for himself, this black woman who had been knitting quietly across from me moved and sat next to me. She did not leave my side. When he came back with TWO drinks, and asked for his seat back, she looked him in the eye and said “for today, this is MY child”.

I don’t know her name but I’m grateful for her.

Honestly, black women are The Best. Black women are so smart, and just Handle business. I had a black nurse in ICU once and I was super sick and my boyfriend broke up with me over text while I was laying up in there. She came in, took my phone from me, wiped my tears, said "Oh no, baby, we're not about to disrupt our healing with some raggedy man tonight!" She got me a warm blanket, the good jello, the good meds, and told me everything would be ok. I still think about that wonderful woman ❤️

Okay, so kind of a long story. But bare with me. I drive a tractor trailer. I stopped at a truck stop in Mississippi to scale my truck, get fuel, and fill up my soda. There was an older black lady in an early 90's Dodge Shadow, and it wouldn't start. I had her pop the hood, and immediately noticed her plug wires were shot. She said she didn't have the money for new plug wires. I told her not to worry about it.

I ran to the auto zone across the street and grabbed her new plug wires and a spacer for the wires. Got her up and running. AND SHE PAID ME WITH SOME OF HER BARBECUE AND THE RECIPE FOR HER SAUCE! It's now laminated, and at the front of my wife's cookbook, to this day!

I'm not White, I'm Hispanic. But I LOOOOVE the Colorful outfits everyone is wearing to Church on Easter Sunday. Every Church looks like the Most Beautiful Bouquet of Flowers!.

Being called ‘baby’ by a black woman always heals everything in my soul.

How fiercely black women defend others. I just saw a thread of a white grandmother posting a pic of her grandsons' pregnant girlfriend, who is a woman of color, and the black women who came out to shut the mean comments down were so fun to read. Y'all fight for anyone. Y'all are tired as hell and still show up. Tough as nails and funny as hell.

I’m not white, but I’m Puerto Rican. My favorite thing about black people is how welcoming black communities are. I have never felt like I didn’t belong. Plus, when a black mom or grandmom gives you a big hug and calls you baby. That will heal anything. I stand with, and love the black community.

Besides everything, I once slipped & fell on ice, carrying a 2-year-old into story time at a community center. This angel of a woman took us in her office, gave us food & water, and ice packs, and had us warm up. I was inconsolable because I felt so bad for the baby (I was his nanny.) She held both of us and let us cry. I was like 20 years old. Lol. If Miss Trina Atkins in Tacoma, WA is reading this, I think of you all the time!

I’m a 10th grade English teacher and I teach a diverse student population. All of my black students are incredibly polite, work hard, an always say yes maam. This brings it back to how they were raised in such a respectful way. I really admire that.

Story time! When I was pregnant with my first I was having some weird symptoms. My OBGYN was a black woman. She noticed the symptoms as something to take seriously after I had previously been dismissed by a white male doctor. Turns out it could have been a fatal condition for my baby and had I been cared for by anyone else, I doubt they would have noticed. So yeah. Black women in healthcare are AWARE and actually give a frick about their patients.

So many things, but here are four:
1. Black joy. The way you guys fall down and run around laughing when something’s funny is infectious.
2. AAVE is such an amazing collection of dialects. It’s poetic, innovative, and so rich and expressive.
3. There is virtually nothing good in the US that wasn’t brought to us by Black people.
4. The fact that nothing we have ever done has been able to snuff out your joy and excellence.

My 9th grade Alabama history teacher kept me after class one day. She said walk with my head held high. My home life was difficult & I suffered from severe depression. This woman saw me when so many others didn’t. Not every teacher, not every woman, not every black person has been like her. But I appreciate that she (a beautiful black woman in Alabama) recognized in me (a depressed, hurt little white girl) needed someone. So with all people, it’s a good heart I love most. ❤️

Black women have the best bull detectors when it comes to politics.

Probably they way black people are never half-hearted about expressing emotion. If a black person finds something funny, it is the falling-down-rolling-on-the-floor-laughing-my-bum-off-est thing in the world. Scary? Absolute eye-popping get me the hell outta here terror. Hate? The fires of hell hath no fury, nor burn as long, as a black person’s hatred. And love? One has not known love until one has been really loved by a black person.

Interesting timing of this question for me. I am a Canadian currently travelling in the Southern US and I mentioned to my husband today that the only people I feel really safe engaging with are the black people. For example, I met a lovely man today with my normally shy dog who came right up to the gentleman and I could see that he felt safe too. We chatted at length and he shared photos of his own pups. Also, I love that you gave us Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston.

I deeply enjoy Black perspectives on literally anything, because if you’re willing to just sit and listen and absorb and think and apply, there’s always something to learn that just never would have occurred to your white bum on its own.

Let me roll out the scroll. EVERYTHING. Kindness, acceptance, joy, intelligence, wit, creativity, passion, talent, warmth, absolutely incredible drive, perseverance…..and most importantly, the fact that you have to deal with “us” and still find kindness in your hearts is a super power because let me tell you…..we have repeatedly let y’all down over and over. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Just know there’s a lot of us out here that would jump in front of a bus to protect you. The world is a better place because of you. 🩷

Their resilience in putting up with white peoples racism… I’m honestly embarrassed to be white because history shows that white people decimated the indigenous peoples in America as well as the black population and every other colour of people..😞

The smell.. Your hair. How the hell your skin always so shiny and smooth 😭 I think yall are just walking goddesses tbh.

I remember being on a road trip when I was little and we were at some fast food spot in Georgia. There was an older black lady at the register and I’ll never forget the way she said “Pepsi” and how she called me “baby” I must have been like 12 and from that point I’ve been convinced there’s no sweeter beings on this planet than older black ladies. And if you add the southern accent it’s just a cherry on top 👌