Black ‘Cosby’ Families Can’t Find Black Nannies
As a fresh young teenager making his way across the river to go to school and work in the big city, I’d often see black women pushing strollers with white babies in them. Rosy cheeks, chewing on their feet, and there is this black woman. Interracial marriages weren’t an oddity to me, but these kids didn’t look mixed. They were like Michael Jackson’s kids, blonde hair and blue eyes. It couldn’t be their kid… could it?
I later found out that 99.9% of them were working as nannies.
Many of them leave their own children at home to take care of other people’s kids, some work as au pairs, some work as nannies by default.. maybe it’s in their blood.
For the most part white families have looked for nanny help.
Here in the 06’ there are black families in need of care for their children. Having scored well-paying jobs they have the money to pay for it, but have difficulty finding people who will take the jobs. Black/Caribbean nanny or White/European, caring for black children is seen as undesirable and they will refuse a job solely on the basis of race.
A NY Times article titled “Nanny Hunt Can Be a ‘Slap in the Face’ for Blacks” dug into this problem yesterday.
Tanisha Jackson, an African-American mother of three lives in a Washington suburb. She searched on and off for five years before hiring a nanny. She commented, “We’ve attained whatever level society says is successful, we’re included at work, but when we need the support for our children and we can afford it, why do we get treated this way?”
It’s not just a problem in Washington, nannies from African-American and Caribbean backgrounds were interviewed in Atlanta, Chicago, NY and Houston, they all said they avoid working for black families reasoning that they demand more work and pay less.
I’m betting the work is the same they’d hear from a white family, but they can’t bear to take instructions from someone that looks like themselves.. but I’ll go on timeout.
Tomasina Boone of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn works as an advertising beauty director at Essence magazine, her husband Eric is a lawyer at Milbank Tweed. A Caribbean woman interviewed for the job asked them about the colored people in the neighborhood. Which completely turned them off.. “To have someone refer to other black people as ‘colored,’ what does that teach your child about race?”
Another Russian nanny told them she doesn’t usually care for black children but because their son was light-skinned she’d make an exception.
The Boones have placed their son in daycare, doing The Pursuit of Happyness thing, running from the city before the center closes and back to work, they say it’s inconvenient but necessary.
Getting a white nanny is even tougher, but they do exist.
Viola Waszkiewicz a nanny working in Chicago said she cares for black children but many of her Eastern European homies won’t.. “We come here, and we watch TV and the news, and all we see is black people who got hurt, got murdered.” Most of the nannies she knows ‘think all black people are bad.’ She said, “They’re afraid to go to black neighborhoods.”
Margaret Kop, a Polish nanny was at the park with a black child, a nanny asked her, “Where did you find that monkey?”
Kop said she loves the kid and cried on the way home
It’s not all on the nannies though. Some, what did I say?.. ‘Cosby’ families *joke* said they turn down Caribbean nannies because of their accents, fearing their kids will pick up on it themselves.
Mommy comes home and the kid is laid back, one leg over the arm of the couch, “Wha go on, sister!”
Another preferred black nannies because they would know little details, like how to do her daughter’s hair. That’s reasonable.
It’s just pathetic that a black nanny would turn down one of their own, especially when the reason is they feel the family would look down on them. Yet there they are in the streets of Manhattan pushing a stroller with a white baby. Everyone is looking at them, either curiously or knowing outright what they do for a living.
How is that a better situation?
Taking that job isn’t wrong, just preferring it over any black job
There really is no answer to this.. we’re talking decades old race/class problems within the black community.
Maybe the Cosbys want to hire Mexicans for this job too? *more jokes*
☼ What's Your Opinion? ☼
That’s a shame. Where is the logic in that?? You are a black nanny, but you refuse to take care of black children because you buy into the stereotypes?? Good stuff though, appreciating the frequent updates.
Well I work in the field of early education and I can somewhat relate to this. Because I wouldn’t work in a child care center that is based in a black neighborhood and/or ran by blacks and yes I am black. I work in a center that is in a white neighborhood and ran by two white couples, they pay more and they treat you with respect. However, I know people who work in black daycare centers and they are only getting paid at least $6.25…that is no money for anyone to survive off of. I don’t know where any of this came from and I don’t even know if it relates to the above story but I just had to say it
more money… more problems..
anyway.. you comments don’t work unless u click more link first
@ATL’s desire…
can’t bash you since you’re basically what the article is talking about… have you always felt this way?? I don’t think it has anything to do with you profession specifically. In fact I also believe it to be the truest form of self-hate and sterteotype. Have you actually worked for black people.. or did you just hear the rumour’s that they pay less?
If you were truly objective, you would know there are good and bad bosses everywhere. Even a statement like “all black bosses pay their employees poorly” is a stereotype, much less to add to that the fact that you THINK white people automatically pay more, will respect you more and so on…
Slave mentality.. I’m sorry to say. I’m Canadian and have no real history of racism aside from what’s been done to my race in general as my posts can clearly show I feel all our pain but I’m thankfully free of such thinking.. not to sound indifferent but it’s a more objective view.. I think all this started before the workforce.. i.e. how do YOU treat black people who work for you? Do you believe that of yourself? it’s a ridiculous stereotype.. we all know chinese people are the cheapest mofo’s around.. haha j/k I’m just being ignorant. but seriously why not take all the interviews you get and simply take the JOB that pay’s the best and happens to come with the best atmosphere..? Or, isn’t it that simple anymore? Why would anyone go into an interview with so much baggage??
I’m not that passionaate about this topic but one more reply.
A relative of mine worked as a nanny for 3 years.. and her worst boss was a white woman.
She worked for a chinese woman, a white woman and finally a black woman who actually saved her and gave her the most compfortable of all 3 jobs.. though none were easy as she had many gripes all throughout.. but the black woman gave her the best reference, cooked herself and didn’t expect more than she was hired for. the white woman paid less. gave her as smaller room. asked her to clean, cook, babysit, run errands.. she basically wanted to work her to death with no off time. she also didn’t let her associate with the family. the philipino/chinese woman let her go to hire another philipino woman ( they really support each other unlike some of us blacks )
that’s a true story.. jsut came to mind.. I didn’t embellish anything here.. the work is hard anywhere you go.. it’s really the people you work for and not the race they belong to that will determine anything about the job itself. sounds very P.C. but it’s so true.. the black woman saved my relative and to this day she can’t say enough about that woman.. that woman even gave more by leaving her on their taxes while my relative was looking for work.. I’d imagine the white or chinese wouldn’t do that but I’m sure the black woman knew sometimes we all need a helping hand..
To piggy back ATL Desir’s response, she is not over reaching with her statement in regard to black vs. white - run daycare wages. They are indeed different and more often the rule than exception. I think we as blacks get burned out on the whole ‘hook up’ mentality, that black employers, as well as employees seek out when dealing with each other.
Some people deny that there is a self hatred thing going on with black people but there is so much evidence of it. And we all play into it, myslef included, on many levels probably because it’s profitable. Ask yourself if you have ever written anything about Frances Cress-Welsing. C-wadda-mean?
Oops on the typo “myself”
-http://www.gnghair.com
Gertha you are soo on-point with your comment. Our self hatred is very profitable to blacks & whites. I feel the issue has worstened over the last 20 yrs and because of advanced technology the world-wide image of todays black person is one that blacks have created out of greed, thirst for power, and immediate gratification without a single thought or care of its future impact on the race.
Thanks Whatever,
So those that know have a heavy, heavy, heavy, weight to carry. 😉
I have to tell you that for myself it’s frustrating as hell trying to be a force for positve change but I would not trade it in for the world. Once you take the red pill life’s a bitch, but at least it’s life.
I would like to introduce to you one of the first Mixed-race Personal Listings Service you may find on the Internet! It is created to balck relationships between Black Men and White Women. This will also serve as a forum for all BM and WW to meet, share, and grow together. As stated in simple terms, this group will serve to provide support, interact, online resource, and up coming events. http://www.interracialfriends.com/
ATL DESIRE, YOU ARE UNFARTUNATELY RIGHT. BLACKS DON’T WANT TO ADMIT IT SO THEY DENY THAT THIS IS HAPPENING. FOR INSTANCE THERE ARE THREE DAYCARES AROUND WHERE I LIVE AND THE AVERAGE PAY IS $5.25HR HOW CAN YOU LIVE ON THAT? WHEN BLACKS REALIZE THAT WE HAVE SOME SHORT COMINGS INSTEAD OF POINTING THE FINGER AT OTHER SITUATIONS THEN WE CAN SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS. WORK WHERE YOU GET PAID THE MOST. IF IT IS FOR WHITES OR BLACKS. WE SHOULDN’T HATE BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO SUPPORT YOURSELF. PEOPLE LIKE TO CALL TELLING THE TRUTH AS SELF HATE BUT SOMETIMES IT’S JUST THE TRUTH. I GO INTO STORE AND GET WAITED ON BY A BLACK WOMAN MOST OF THE TIME SHE IS RUDE, NEVER SMILES AND REALLY DOSEN’T CARE. I GET THE SAME TREATMENT AT YALE-NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL. IT’S JUST NOT LIKE THAT MOST OF THE TIME IN OTHER RACES. I’M SAYING THESE THINGS MOT BECAUSE OF SELF HATE BUT TO TEACH. TAKE NOTES PEOPLE.
Since when has anyone seen Michael Jackson’s kids in person? Rarely anyone has actually seen them, and they are not all blonde haired and blue eyed.
Hi,
My Aunt from the UK is looking for a nanny position. Do you know o any good nanny agencies that she could apply? She has signed with a few British agencies to no avail.