Copyright © 2023 by Eboni K. Williams

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First trade paperback edition: July 2025

Originally published in hardcover and ebook by Grand Central Publishing in January 2023.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022947909

ISBNs: 9780306828652 (trade pbk.), 9780306828669 (ebook)

E3-20250425-JV-PC-REV

I dedicate this book to Carey James Williams, Sr., and Gloria J. Williams. My grandfather and mother were the first two people to show me the power of what happens when you Bet on Black.

I also dedicate this book to the Black people in America. We have always bet on ourselves… and we always will.

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INTRODUCTION

OPENING STATEMENT

“I find, in being black, a thing of beauty, a joy, a strength, a secret cup of gladness.”

—OSSIE DAVIS

I AM IN A DEEP LOVE AFFAIR with my Blackness.

I carry my Blackness with me everywhere I go, boldly, proudly, audaciously… unapologetically. Whether I’m on The Real Housewives of New York, on The View, or on my podcast Holding Court, I’m Blackity-Black Black, pro-Black, perennially centering Blackness, whatever you want to call it. I can talk about Blackness through any angle or lens, whether as a court-appointed legal adviser or on the couch with my girls in some chic Walker Wear sweats talking shit. I can talk about being Black all day, every day, however way. I carry my Blackness with me into every room I enter, whether serving as a public defender, private defense lawyer, television journalist, executive producer, event host, or reality TV show cast member. My mode of Blackness has been informed by Southern sensibilities, academic achievement, and the oft-intense glare of media. My Blackness has nurtured my spirit, and I wrote Bet on Black to feed yours as well.

We’ve long been aware that Blackness has been perceived by some as a threat, as an unacceptable breach of an American social contract that, for centuries, has proclaimed brown skin to be an inferior marker of identity. As seen with slavery and Jim Crow laws, this dehumanizing contract proclaims that our heritage should be downplayed and subcategorized, permanently positioned as an afterthought in the collective consciousness. Some might argue that we’ve moved past these notions of inferiority and become an egalitarian society, but as Black people we know that’s ridiculously naive and dishonest. We know that a racist social contract still exists in the minds of many and continues to shape our society’s institutions. Regardless of these realities, I wrote this book to unite us so that we can collectively refuse to have our futures dictated by anti-Black nonsense.

Since the early seventeenth century, when Africans were first brought to American colonial shores, ideas of Blackness have been associated with a subordinate, undesirable experience codified in law for centuries. This is a lie maintained by a white power structure invested in maintaining supremacy at all costs. We now know how utterly arbitrary and mind-numbing this bottom-tier human assignment always was. There have been countless books celebrating the traditional American social order, which requires the dominance of whiteness, heterosexuality, Christianity, and maleness. Whiteness is inherently inflated in this rather tired mix, and if we start to do the work of telling the truth about ourselves as Black people, then we can build an environment for ourselves where we can truly live and thrive. We don’t need to depend on anyone else to give us freedom. We never have. We can ensure our full liberation by starting with a basic truth—that everything we’ve been taught, told, and force-fed about white positioning in this nation and beyond is completely arbitrary.

Yes, it’s made up. And once certain folks have stopped clutching their pearls at this assertion, we can go about the great work of figuring out what this means for Blackness. Whiteness has been inflated, placed high on a pedestal, and positioned as superior, which means that what we’ve been told all of our lives about the positioning of Blackness as inferior and subordinate is just as arbitrary.

It’s why, as we cellularly move through life and handle our day-to-day, we should no longer buy into subordinate positions based on our skin color. It’s a very American notion to say that Black people have a place in every space they occupy and that this space is always secondary to that of whiteness. We need to be extremely hostile to that assignment. This subordinate ranking is as false and made up as the tooth fairy, and we have to start treating it as such for the sake of our individual freedoms and collective well-being.

The good news about being Black today is that we can place our history, self-awareness, and understanding of who we are in this world front and center. We can let others contend with their comfort or discomfort with our choices as we refuse to succumb to projections of inferiority or second-class citizenship. These projections have nothing to do with who we are. Let’s blow up the bullshit. Let’s stop placating others or being silently complicit with racist lies and tell the truth: Blackness is and always has been deserving of a first-class, mainstream, fully liberated experience. Let’s spread the good news about being Black in America with a fresh, unfettered celebration of self.

For years the prevailing narrative was that Blackness was something to manage, downplay, quiet, suppress, distract from, even erase. With Bet on Black, I’m flipping that paradigm on its head by maintaining that Blackness is a treasure to lead with. Blackness deserves to be centered. Black folks today need to bring their Blackness with them into every space they enter and occupy. Despite the racist fearmongers, a push to create space for Blackness isn’t about mass white displacement. It’s about allowing Black bodies and brains to occupy spaces with confidence, with an informed, well-thought-out process through which we readily wield power. It’s about recognizing that we have every right to access resources, professional opportunities, wealth, and the full emotional spectrum of the human condition in the same way that our white counterparts have done for eons.

I wrote this book because history shows it’s common for Black folks to contend with manifestations of white insecurity that would have us become caricatures of who we really are or be removed from the playing field altogether. I want us to celebrate the expansiveness of our experiences, to honor this precious thing popularly known as Black excellence, to abjectly refuse subordinate positioning in everything that we do and in whatever way we define Blackness. Bet on Black is ultimately about reframing and reimagining our possibilities as a people. When we open and alter our own states of mind as they relate to racial identity, we embrace processes that will create a different reality for what it is to be Black in America.

I penned Bet on Black to help others in my community avoid the trap of white judgment and the limiting of our potential. I want Black folks to divorce ourselves from white comfort and white expectations and be concerned only with the preservation of our divine authentic selves. Whatever feels good to you is what you need to be in exclusive relationship with. And listen, I know a lot of us are out here trying to get chosen by somebody, so here’s your opportunity… to choose your own damn self. Figure out how you want to carry your Blackness with you in whatever room you occupy, whether it’s an office, a classroom, a café, a courtroom, or a TV show set. Let others reconcile their comfort with your choice… they’re working through whatever they’re working through, and it’s not on you. Your job is to figure out who you are in this world while letting people simply deal with it.

Over the course of this book, I’ll present key ideas that I believe are essential to embodying Blackness while sharing aspects of my personal experience that are relevant to whatever we’re exploring. Think of what’s to come as a meditation on interconnected concepts that I’m sure will produce a range of emotions. I’m going to flow and do my best to guide y’all along. I’ll also provide occasional key takeaways—aka Bet on Black Moves—that I hope will inspire readers to walk an exceptional walk. Readers can expect shout-outs to specific historical events and contemporary figures who exemplify a Bet on Black consciousness, who’ve unabashedly occupied rooms and expectations with panache and flair. These public luminaries had the vision to pave a way for themselves with trailblazing work that exemplifies what we’re capable of even when faced with oppression. And along the way, I’ll give glimpses into my own life, providing anecdotes that I hope will be of service to readers and offering some insight into the trials and tribulations of your beloved Auntie E. I’m going to make myself vulnerable on the page because I believe that’s the only way to grow, to share honestly and forthrightly and encourage others to do the same.

On top of all of this, I’ve provided a literary reference guide at the back of the book for readers who want to do more research on the topics I’ll be exploring. But for those who just want to read Bet on Black and be done, never fear, I’ve got you. I’ve done the work so you don’t have to.

I want Bet on Black to get people talking. You don’t have to agree with me, as I’m aware that some of my opinions might feel controversial and against the grain. It’s okay if you don’t see eye to eye with me about everything. I just want you to think about the issues I raise, ask yourself questions, ask your friends and family questions, and start looking at how we see ourselves as Black folks in this nation with a fresh lens. If my words can help accomplish that, I’m happy.

I’m confident that the more we can recognize and embrace the power of our identities and history, prioritizing the authenticity of Blackness, the more readily we can create the paths that will allow us to walk contently in our joy and happiness.

So, are you ready for some good news?