A monolith is a large, unified structure, like a
skyscraper or a big block of concrete. To say a group is monolithic implies they are
all alike, that they act as one in accordance to their structure (or race): "a large and
impersonal political, corporate, or social structure regarded as intractably indivisible
and uniform."
To say a group is monolithic sounds
condescending; if it said by a white man it sounds racist. Regardless, it seems
stereotypical. Obviously, it should be avoided.
I assume
the context here is sociological. African-Americans were originally forced immigrants,
moved to the Americas during the Diaspora that was the
slave trade. In this sense, they were taken from diverse places and not given an
education, rights, or representation when they were transplanted here. In this way,
they were not a unified, culturally-same people. But then, who is? I don't know any
culture, race, or ethnicity that I would classify as monolithic (it's a limiting,
formless word). Maybe some isolated island colony?
The
great poet Derek Walcott, who was a half-white and half-black islander, said, "Either
I'm nobody or a nation." He would not say either of his races were monolithic; rather,
he (as an individual) is made up of both the white and black culture, the island
culture, the American culture, the English language, etc... All these are assimilated
in one man. Otherwise, he is a nobody.
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