I had a blond hair, blue eyed, white-skinned friend in my 80% Black high school named Michael. Michael was Black. Walked like a brother, talked like a brother, laughed like a brother, grabbed his crouch like a brother, listened to Black radio, the whole nine yards. Michael could greet you with a loud "Yo, wassup n-word?," and nobody blinked twice. Everybody thought of Mike as just another one of the bloods.
I remember the second day of my sophmore year. This one wanna-be-hood type who was new to the school thought for sure he would score some points with the brothers by picking on "the white boy." He tried to start something by purposely bumping into Mike. "Moved out of the way you fat ass white punk," he sneeered. Before Mike could respond, two brothers who were with Mike and saw what was happening shoved the wanna-be, One of them responding with, "Mike ain't white you fake-ass niggah. You need to correct yo' shit!"
Now, I don't believe that "white" people need to become Black pers se as long as they reckognize their own Blackness and act accordingly. That is, as Black resistance/oppresion is fundamental to American history and politics, Black culture is fundamental to American Culture: No American--including the Skinheads--can legitamely claim zero Black influence on their life. Which is why I am also Ok with with former howlies embracing Black culture as their own. Yes, "white" folks struggling to liberate themselves from the white prison often behave in strange ways, especially when what they want to become is Black. But that's ok--provided, that is, that they have some critical, compassionate support. Such is the nature of transition.
Re: Black and White Unite and Fight: I am not intersted in fighting with any capital "W" as in racial "White" folks, which is, historically, exactly what that slogan intends. The only white folks I am willing to politically partner with are small "w" white folks, as in physical characteristic (e.g. I am tall). The rest I don't trust--politically, that is. No disrespect to the Popular Front necessarily intended but "Black and White Unite and Fight" does not unequivocally insist upon "white" racial suicide, the key to any successful freedom struggle in this country. I mean let's not give whitey any rope. We know all too well about whitey's facility with rope...
Respectfully,
Niles