Have you ever heard of the phrase CP time, or Colored People’s Time? If you haven’t you’re in the right place, and if you have you’re still in the right place. In this piece, NewsOne will break down the infamous “Colored People’s Time” stereotype and try to better understand its origins, its impact and finally debunk this silly notion that Black people can’t be on time.
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Stereotypes are all around us, but many of them can perpetuate harmful biases and have lasting effects on people’s lives. Britannica defines a stereotype as an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic. But how does a stereotype even form?
Some scientists believe that when humans repeatedly pass social information to one another, it can result in the formation of cultural stereotypes. When our minds categorize information, it creates mental shortcuts that associate certain things with certain behaviors. The human brain has a lot to do and this allows humans to retain more information using minimal mental effort. But the problem is that some of these stereotypes have been indoctrinated into everyday life disguised as the truth. One of those fake truths is CP Time or Colored People’s Time.
What is CP Time?
CP Time is an American stereotype that refers to Black people frequently being late. It derives from slavery and the Antebellum South. White slave owners often used physiological warfare against their slaves calling them lazy and unreliable. The expression stuck and was eventually commonly used in Black culture spaces, sometimes even to describe one’s self.
In the December 1972 edition of Black World Magazine, created by Johnson Publishing, Ronald Walcott wrote this about CP Time:
CP time is usually spoken of in tones of the profoundest dismay (by Blacks who lament their brothers’ “irresponsibility that will hold us all…
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