Colored People's Time

Colored People's Time, or CPT, (also referred to as Black People Time) is an American expression referring to a stereotype of African Americans as frequently being late.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]}

In media

The phrase or acronymn has been referenced numerous times in various types of media, including the films Bamboozled, Undercover Brother, Let's Do It Again, House Party and several television series: The Mindy Project, Prison Break, The Boondocks, The Wire, Weeds, Where My Dogs At?, Reno 911, 30 Rock, Everybody Hates Chris, The PJs, Bridezillas, Mad TV and Cedric the Entertainer Presents, Empire, and reality series The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In the Black Jeopardy sketch aired during the March 29, 2014 episode of Saturday Night Live, host Darnell Hayes (Kenan Thompson) says upon the sound of the final bell, "As usual, we started late."

There was also a 1960s public interest program produced by Detroit Public Television with the name Colored People's Time, as well as a 1980s play written by Leslie Lee which consisted of 13 vignettes of African American history from the Civil War through the Montgomery bus riots. (ISBN 0-573-61894-1). In The Wire S03E08 Moral Midgetry, when a girl asked Marlo Stanfield when he wants to meet, Marlo responded, "Five. And five mean five. I don't truck CP time. Five and change; I'm gone." The mention of "CPT" in the television series Prison Break was by the character Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell.

In literature

The phrase may be found in the following literary texts:

• Langston Hughes's poem "Dancer" in Montage of a Dream Deferred: "Even a great dancer can't C.P.T. a show."
• Toni Morrison's novel Jazz: "CPT! Surprise me for once, Joe Trace." - Sheila says, commenting on Joe's late arrival.
• Nella Larsen's novel Passing.

See also

• Stereotypes of African Americans
• African Time
• Mayor Jane L. Campbell of Cleveland, Ohio, who was criticized when she joked that she was surprised that an Urban League meeting started on time.

References