The Cold Truth…Ice is Ice

“Black people often believe that white products, white systems, white schools and white people are better than we are. What we do not realize is that this makes us direct contributors to the system of white supremacy.”
— Dr. Boyce Watkins

After the Civil War, in towns across the South, Black entrepreneurs began opening small businesses to serve their own communities. It was a difficult path, but some pressed forward, determined to compete with white-owned establishments and provide goods and services to their neighbors.

One story tells of a Black businessman who sold ice in his own community. Despite his store being located in a Black neighborhood—and despite purchasing ice from the very same supplier as the white-owned stores—his neighbors would often travel across town to buy ice from white merchants.

Perplexed, the man, who was also a deacon in his church, asked his fellow parishioners why they refused to support him. A woman responded bluntly: “We do not buy your ice because the word on the street is that the white man’s ice is colder than yours.”

That phrase became more than a quip—it became a parable. It spoke to a lingering mindset: that what comes from white institutions is somehow superior.

Now, in 2025, many still believe the white man’s ice is colder, his sugar sweeter and his water wetter. The perception persists, even when evidence proves otherwise.

Take education. Some dismiss degrees from Historically Black Colleges and Universities as inferior. Yet, a recent Gallup poll measuring five elements of well-being—social, purpose, financial, community and physical—found that Black HBCU graduates were “thriving” at greater levels in all categories than their Black counterparts from non-HBCU institutions. Among the top 50 colleges producing Black Ph.D.s in science and engineering, 21 are HBCUs.

The truth is simple. A Black lawyer attends law school for the same years and passes the same bar exam as a white lawyer. A Black doctor completes the same medical training, sometimes longer depending on specialization, and must pass the same board certifications every 10 years. The qualifications are identical.

And yet, too often, the perception remains that white is better.

There is nothing more frustrating than hearing Black speakers passionately argue that “The Man” is holding them back—not because racism isn’t real, but because racism is not the only barrier. Attitudes within the Black community also play a role.

As the late national radio host Joe Madison, “The Black Eagle,” often said: “We, as a people, are underestimated, undervalued and marginalized.” That much is true. But if we are honest with ourselves—or as Gladys Knight and the Pips would sing, if we “get right down to the real nitty gritty”—we must admit that it is not only systemic racism, but also internalized doubt, that continues to hold us back.

Because ice is ice. Sugar is sugar. And water is water—no matter who is selling it.