Black is the New White

by Nakkiah Lui

  RAY You’d rather have nothing? After everything I’ve given you.

  CHARLOTTE / Yes, it’s always about you. Your policies, your laws, your desire to lead, and your hope. That’s your hope and and your hope only.

  RAY My life has been about hope. My entire career.

  CHARLOTTE That you built on the back of a community and have managed to create a fortune off.

  RAY I worked hard.

  CHARLOTTE The community hates you. They hate you.

  JOAN Charlotte … that isn’t true.

  CHARLOTTE It is and you know it. I bet you even wrote his speech, didn’t you?

  DENNISON I knew it!

  MARIE Shut up, Dennison.

  RAY I wrote that speech! Tell her, Joan.

  JOAN I didn’t … not … write it.

  RAY She just helped.

  JOAN Excuse me?

  RAY I mean, she just helped me turn my thoughts into sentences—

  JOAN Which is what writing is! Turning thoughts into sentences!

  RAY I mean, you gave my thoughts words … and helped put those words into sentences.

  JOAN That’s writing, you fool!

  FRANCIS That’s true. Writing is just that.

  RAY Those were my speeches! Your mother, she just … she …

  JOAN She? I’m right here.

  RAY You just helped!

  JOAN I didn’t just help! I don’t want to be Black Hillary!

  MARIE Oh, you’re not Black Hillary.

  DENNISON Who the fuck is Black Hillary?

  RAY Are you happy now, Charlotte? Like a true teenager, having everyone fighting? Are you happy?

  CHARLOTTE Am I happy? Of course I’m not happy.

  RAY I gave you the best of everything. The best education, holidays, a roof over your heads, everything your mother and I never had. You’re spoilt.

  CHARLOTTE Yeah, I am. Those communities we are celebrated for helping have nothing … absolutely nothing .

  . . because of the laws you made. You fed me a lie. You said our successes are our communities’ successes.

  They’re not. They’re just ours. You did the wrong thing, Dad. So did I. I’m ashamed to be your daughter.

  RAY Get out.

  CHARLOTTE runs out of the room. RAY gets himself a drink.

  DENNISON I have an announcement to make myself. If Christmas is as Sonny says it is, a time of giving, then unfortunately I am the Grinch.

  MARIE Dennison, really? Now? You’re timing has always been off. It’s probably where Francis got it from.

  FRANCIS How about I play some music? You know what they say … nothing.

  MARIE Francis, timing, no.

  DENNISON Now is the perfect time, Marie.

  MARIE Dennison, they’re clearly in the middle of something.

  JOAN I hate to interrupt, Dennison, but maybe we should wait until after dessert when there have been more / drinks.

  DENNISON / Well, with that—

  MARIE Dennison, no.

  DENNISON It’s now or never, Marie. Francis, I have directed the lawyers to have you cut out of the trust.

  FRANCIS What?

  DENNISON I’m cutting you out of the trust.

  FRANCIS It’s a trust. You can’t cut me off from the trust. Legally, you can’t.

  DENNISON No, I can. I had the lawyers look at it years ago.

  FRANCIS Years? Oh, okay! You had the lawyers look at it years ago.

  DENNISON You can’t keep freeloading.

  FRANCIS I’m not a freeloader, I’m a musician. A classical musician!

  DENNISON Potato, potahto.

  FRANCIS No one says “potahto”, you idiot. This is not your money to decide what to do with. That money comes from my grandparents.

  DENNISON And they were my parents.

  FRANCIS It’s in a trust. A family trust that’s there for all of us. I rely on my allowance.

  DENNISON And you need to learn to stand by your decisions and to be responsible. If you are responsible enough to get married, you’re responsible enough to have your own financial income.

  FRANCIS Yes! My trust!

  DENNISON An income that you earn.

  FRANCIS You didn’t even know I was getting married.

  DENNISON It’s good timing then.

  FRANCIS / So you’re trying to blackmail me out of getting married?

  DENNISON I’m actually trying to get you to invest in your life, Francis.

  FRANCIS And what makes you think you have any right to do that?

  DENNISON Because you don’t support yourself!

  FRANCIS And neither do you! You have never had to.

  Just because you got there first you think that gives you some kind of authority or moral high ground. You didn’t work for a single thing and now you’re condemning my freedom, the same freedom you had, because our values are different?

  DENNISON If you can marry the daughter of my enemy, if you prance around Europe, you can look after yourself.

  FRANCIS You hypocrite! You’re a typical baby boomer.

  DENNISON I am not a baby boomer.

  FRANCIS Your parents supported you all the way through your career!

  RAY I knew it!

  JOAN Raymond, not now.

  FRANCIS And you’re going to leave me with nothing. You know, I knew you never wanted me. I knew it. But I thought at least some sense of guilt and propriety would mean you wouldn’t touch what I’m entitled to. But no.

  DENNISON You’re not entitled to anything, Francis. That is your problem.

  FRANCIS No, my problem is I don’t have a family. All my life I thought you were aware that you weren’t very good parents.

  That you knew you weren’t great at letting me know you love me, or even being there for me.

  I thought that by financially supporting me, you were at least making some gesture of care.

  I’m an idiot, I thought the money was your love. I was wrong.

  MARIE … Francis, of course … we do love you. Dennison?

  DENNISON …

  MARIE Dennison, tell him.

  DENNISON …

  FRANCIS You’re a politician and you can’t even lie to your own son. We won’t be able to go to New York. Charlotte and I, we won’t have a future.

  Mother?

  MARIE I have no say, Francis. It’s your father’s family money.

  FRANCIS exits and stumbles into the kitchen, where CHARLOTTE has escaped to.

  CHARLOTTE Francis, are you okay?

  FRANCIS Dennison … he cut me out of the trust.

  CHARLOTTE He cut you out of the trust? Can he even do that?

  FRANCIS Yes. What am I going to do? I have no money.

  I’ll have no career.

  CHARLOTTE Why won’t you have a career?

  FRANCIS I won’t be able to compose anymore. I’ll have to get a job.

  I’m a mess. If you don’t want to marry me, Charlotte. That’s fine. That’s totally fine.

  I wouldn’t want to marry me either. I understand.

  You’re not saying anything.

  Oh, God.

  You don’t want to marry me, do you? Please don’t not marry me. Please. I’ll do anything /

  CHARLOTTE / Francis, look at me.

  FRANCIS / Oh, God, my life is ruined.

  CHARLOTTE / Look at me.

  CHARLOTTE grabs FRANCIS’s face and stares hard at it.

  CHARLOTTE I love you. I want to marry you.

  FRANCIS Are you sure?

  CHARLOTTE I’m sure.

  FRANCIS I’m lucky you are so stupid.

  CHARLOTTE I am very stupid. You are very lucky. Francis, it will be okay.

  FRANCIS He couldn’t even tell me he loves me, Charlotte.

  CHARLOTTE I’m sorry, Francis.

  FRANCIS This has really been the holiday from hell.

  CHARLOTTE It’s quite hilarious. I never would have thought it would go this badly.

  FRANCIS I told you it would. I told you.

  CHARLOTTE You
r jokes didn’t help.

  FRANCIS Yes, sorry about that.

  CHARLOTTE And the singing?

  FRANCIS I told you I get awkward. Like actually awkward.

  CHARLOTTE You were very awkward. I thought you meant, like, cute awkward but / no

  FRANCIS / Yes, I know. Which is why I tried to tell you that, no, I get genuinely awkward. Terribly awkward. The kind of awkward where I make everyone in the room totally uncomfortable.

  CHARLOTTE Sing it again.

  FRANCIS Nope.

  CHARLOTTE Please … pretty please.

  FRANCIS “Ebony and ivory, live together in perfect harmony …”

  CHARLOTTE “Isn’t Francis so gifted?”

  FRANCIS You do realise your dad doesn’t even has his virtual reality mask turned on most of the time?

  CHARLOTTE Don’t even bring up my father. Sorry about my sister.

  FRANCIS Sonny’s a great guy, though. Aside from the Jesus stuff.

  CHARLOTTE Well, you know: potato, potahto.

  FRANCIS I don’t think you know what that phrase means.

  CHARLOTTE I don’t. No idea. Franny, you are good at lots of things. Not just the cello.

  FRANCIS Would you like to name some of these things?

  CHARLOTTE We’ll move to New York and it’ll just be me and you and Alicia Keys / in New York.

  FRANCIS / About New York.

  CHARLOTTE What about it?

  FRANCIS Charlotte … Maybe your father is right. Maybe you should take the job.

  CHARLOTTE My father?

  FRANCIS He has a point about the TV job.

  CHARLOTTE I can’t take that job. I believe in what I said, Francis.

  FRANCIS It will be great for your career.

  CHARLOTTE You’re scared.

  FRANCIS I’m not scared, I just think you should think bigger picture. What is there for us in New York except for expensive rent and brownstones? You have so much here.

  CHARLOTTE Don’t pretend this is about me.

  FRANCIS I’m being pragmatic. New York would be very hard now. Under our circumstances.

  CHARLOTTE Our circumstances. So it’s our circumstances now?

  FRANCIS We are engaged, in case you’ve forgotten.

  CHARLOTTE Oh, I haven’t forgotten. Francis, you’re acting like we’re going to be living on rations.

  FRANCIS I will have no money, Charlotte. None. I don’t think you understand. My compositions don’t exactly make it rain with cash money.

  CHARLOTTE I’m a solicitor, Francis. I have savings and the scholarship and you’ll get a job.

  FRANCIS Or we won’t go to New York and I will fight my father to get my share of the trust back!

  CHARLOTTE / Your father is right. You are entitled! You’re afraid of having no money. You’re afraid of working.

  FRANCIS I am not afraid of working! Music is work.

  CHARLOTTE You are being incredibly selfish.

  FRANCIS Selfish?

  CHARLOTTE You’re all liberal and understanding until you actually have to give something up!

  FRANCIS I am being understanding!

  CHARLOTTE My father wants me to take a job because of his ego. His idea of legacy and his own relevance. You want me to take the job because you can’t stand the idea of being unsafe or having to take a risk.

  FRANCIS That is not true!

  CHARLOTTE It is totally true. You were all for New York when you could just fuck around and play the cello.

  FRANCIS Oh, so I just fuck around / do I?

  CHARLOTTE / Don’t you dare turn this around!

  FRANCIS Charlotte, you’re angry with your father.

  CHARLOTTE Don’t patronise me. I thought you weren’t selfish and spoilt. That’s what I loved about you: your humility. Your messy clothes and your vinegar smell.

  But that’s just a poor man’s suit.

  You live off an allowance and don’t want to have to do anything on your own.

  I don’t want to be my mother.

  I don’t want to spend my life sacrificing what I want for love.

  FRANCIS It’s a TV job, Charlotte. Not a limb!

  CHARLOTTE Is this what you really want: to stay in Australia? To fight to not have a job?

  Is that what you really want to do?

  FRANCIS Yes.

  CHARLOTTE Okay.

  CHARLOTTE takes off her ring and gives it back to FRANCIS. CHARLOTTE marches back to the dining room table. She sits down as everyone watches her. They eat and drink in silence.

  CHARLOTTE For God’s sake, someone just ask instead of staring at me.

  JOAN Well … what’s going on?

  CHARLOTTE / The engagement is off.

  MARIE No!

  DENNISON That was quick.

  CHARLOTTE Yes, it is. And I bet you’re all very happy.

  RAY I knew it wasn’t right. Right from the start. It’s all timing. Martin Luther King had a saying about these kind of situations, “The time is always / right”—

  JOAN / You’re not Martin Luther King! For God’s sake, not every Black man in Australia who puts two and two together and comes up with four is Martin Luther Fucking King! You’re just men, saying what us women have been saying for decades.

  God, Ray, you think you’re the only hope we have? After two daughters and a bypass, you’re still thinking this is all about you? You fool! You selfish, selfish fool!

  And now, you’ve single-handedly ruined your daughter’s relationship!

  RAY This isn’t my fault!

  JOAN Charlotte, is it?

  CHARLOTTE It’s at least half his fault.

  JOAN See! It is your fault!

  RAY It’s not my fault, it’s his fault!

  RAY points to DENNISON.

  DENNISON What?! This isn’t my fault!

  RAY It’s always your fault!

  DENNISON Why? Because I’m White!

  RAY No! Because you’re a … a cunt!

  JOAN Raymond!

  RAY And because you’re White! That doesn’t help either! It makes it worse!

  DENNISON You’re a racist!

  RAY And you’re a cunt!

  JOAN Raymond, you take that back!

  RAY No! He is!

  MARIE He’s kind of right.

  DENNISON Marie!

  RAY See! Even his own wife agrees. It’s all his fault. If he had never had children this would never have happened! None of it!

  DENNISON Well, maybe if you never had children this wouldn’t have happened!

  JOAN Both of you: stop it! Now!

  MARIE You’re as bad as each other!

  ROSE and SONNY come rushing in, SONNY holding up a bible.

  SONNY Everyone calm down! I have a bible! It’s gonna be okay!

  ROSE What is with all the yelling?

  CHARLOTTE Francis and I have broken up. My life is ruined. Mum is blaming Dad and Dad is blaming Dennison.

  ROSE Well … Good.

  CHARLOTTE What do you mean, good?

  ROSE It’s probably for the best. You and Francis. You weren’t meant to be together anyway. He’s White and makes zero money.

  JOAN Rose!

  CHARLOTTE Rose, you’re being a racist.

  ROSE Umm … no, Charlotte. Everyone knows you can’t be racist to a White person.

  RAY This is true, my daughter.

  CHARLOTTE Shut up, Dad!

  ROSE Charlotte, did you know that 74 per cent of Aboriginal people get married to non-Aboriginal people? Did you know that?

  CHARLOTTE What are you getting at?

  ROSE We are a diminishing race. We need to procreate and make families and that’s the key to empowerment. Think of how races become successful: they stick together. They create communities. Economies. Like Beyoncé and Jay Z.

  CHARLOTTE Beyoncé and Jay Z? Rose, what the fuck are you talking about?

  ROSE I’m talking about family! About making a strong Black community!

  CHARLOTTE That sounds like racial propaganda.

  ROSE I�
��m being pro-Black!

  CHARLOTTE I love Francis!

  ROSE Then just … un-love him.

  CHARLOTTE You can’t just tell me not to love him because he’s White.

  ROSE No, I’m telling you to be loyal to your community. Our parents didn’t fight for us to be successful so we would leave our culture behind and marry our oppressors.

  CHARLOTTE We are the oppressors. We are the rich and powerful. We’re not only NOT oppressed, we benefit from our political class. Surely someone else sees this.

  ROSE Not being oppressed doesn’t make us the oppressor. We aren’t White.

  It’s not potato potahto!

  CHARLOTTE What does that saying even mean?

  ROSE Don’t marry a White man, Charlotte. Marry an Aboriginal. Like me.

  CHARLOTTE Oh, my God, if you could only hear yourself right now. You sound like an idiot.

  ROSE Stop calling me an idiot, Charlotte. I know you think I’m an idiot because I work in fashion. Because I didn’t go to law school like you. Because I married a footballer—

  SONNY Hey!

  ROSE All of you think the same as Charlotte. That because I’m not articulated or as educated or because I don’t articulate good like the rest of you …

  That doesn’t mean I’m not intelligent and that I don’t matter.

  You dismiss me all so quickly. But I’m standing by what I just stood by and said.

  I’m an educated businesswoman who runs an international clothing line. I will not be questioned for my decisions as a person who’s questioned. I will not be dismissed.

  I was raised to love being Black. Just like you were. And, yeah, I don’t get on TV and sprout my opinion.

  CHARLOTTE You’re on TV all the time talking about fashion.

  ROSE Don’t say “fashion” like that. Like it’s not important. Clothes are important! Because we wear them! Just because I’m not doing PhDs in … racial identity politics /

  CHARLOTTE / Post-colonial and cultural / studies—

  ROSE / whatever the fuck you want to do a PDF in, but what I do and what I believe in matters as much as your wanker … stuff. You’re going on about us not doing anything for the Aboriginal community – at least I’m investing in it! Continuing it! I’m rich and Black, yeah! And I’m proud.