Buying
an African American for labor is illegal, but now whites can rent
one for their next business social or rooftop garden party. Or
at least that's the promise of Rent-a-Negro.com, a satirical Web
site started early this month by damali ayo, a conceptual artist
who is fed up with whites asking to touch her dreadlocks, or compare
their skin tone to hers.
"I thought that maybe I should be paid for this," said
ayo, who lives and works in Portland, Oregon. "Black people
are not only expected to learn white culture, but to teach white
people about black culture, all without compensation."
On her site, ayo presents herself to potential renters as an articulate,
easy-going African American companion for whites looking to diversify
their portfolio of friends.
"The presence of black people can advance a business and
social reputation," reads the site's sales pitch. "Those
who claim black friends and colleagues are on the cutting edge
of social and political trends."
Whites eager to show off their connections (real or imagined)
to darker-complected people can fill out an online rental agreement
and submit payments via PayPal. Visits start at $350 an hour.
ayo also takes on racism through gallery exhibitions and her personal
Web site, damaliayo.com. The site includes images from "wanna
taste?"—a commentary on the Rolling Stones song "Brown
Sugar"—and an audio download that repeats insensitive
remarks whites have made about blacks in ayo's presence.
ayo derived all of the "satisfied customer" testimonials
at Rent-a-Negro from comments whites have made to her in the past.
One of them reads: "After seeing me with her, people have
wanted to know more about me!"
Rent-a-Negro is pure satire, but not everyone seems to be getting
the joke. ayo has received about 100 e-mails per day since May
5, many from African Americans who are incensed by her indecent
proposal. "It is sad that one of our own has come up with
this," read one letter she received.
"People today seem very literal-minded," said ayo. She
now responds to angry e-mails with a message explaining the points
she is trying to make.
Others catch on quickly to ayo's message about how whites use
blacks for social advancement. "Those of us who have been
the only African American in classrooms and board rooms all of
our lives know the feeling all too well," one person wrote.
"I hope there are enough white folks out there who get the
satire to make a difference."
Some also noted the similarities between ayo's site and Black
People Love Us (www.blackpeopleloveus.com), a satirical depiction
of Sally and Johnny, a white couple who pat themselves on the
back for having African American friends.
ayo says she's trying to cajole white liberals out of their self-congratulatory
attitudes toward racism, which has many—like Sally and Johnny—boasting
about their relationships with black people. "If they only
knew how ridiculous they sometimes sounded," ayo said.
ayo hopes Rent-a-Negro will prompt whites to be as open about
racism as they purport to be while talking to black people. "That
(same) conversation needs to be taking place when black people
are not around, and it isn't," she said.
ayo has no immediate plans to expand her site, but she may find
a place for it a broader enterprise, which she described as a
DIY reparations project. Part of that project will include a live
performance.
"I will be panhandling in the streets for reparations,"
ayo said.
