Well, this is the last day of Black History Month and I thought I would throw in my two cents on this month. For those who may not have noticed, I'm black, or to be technical, I am of a darker persuasion or I am of African descent. The funny thing about being black is you view the world in a different way.
Let me start off with my own experience. Okay, I'm born, I have dark skin, no problem, I live on an island with people with dark skin. I am. Then I go to school and we're learning history, we start off with the native Americans, basically, the people who were here before the rest of us. And I kid you not when we reached that point, I thought we were Indians. The teacher said no, we're black, we'll be getting to that. And we did get to that, and we acknowledged that we were descendants from slaves. Then we move on to western history. In history, I learned about the American Revolution, the French Revolution, a bit about the Caribbean Revolutions, and I think about some of the South American Revolutions.
Now here is my issue, that is all well and good, but I think we have to really look at our history. On this island, I want to know about the people who made us the people who we are. I've learned more out of school than in school about what black people had to go through in the past. I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of, in fact it is something to hold up and say, "In spite of all that was thrown at a people, they kept going. They kept going until the world changed."
I am black, and I come a very strong set of people, both strong and wise. I come from a set of people who refuse to be broken. I come from a set of people who knew how to survive and adapt. I come from a set of people who knew how to yield like a bamboo in a storm, it bends but it does not break.
It was quite by coincidence that I read two books that centered around blacks in the states around the turn of the century. The first was Black Gold by Anita Richmond Bunkley and the second was Alex Cross's Trial. Both books were very enlightening, they both showed how ignorance, hatred, and people's refusal to let go of the status quo could keep a people down.
After reading the books, especially Alex Cross's Trial, I saw how present day black people have taken on the rhetoric once used by hateful white people. For instance, back in the day, hateful white people would come down hard on a black person who tried to get an education, now black people are mocking their peers if they try to get an education, if they speak properly. They go so far as to call them Oreos, white on the inside, black on the outside. So sad. Why do black people nowadays thing being intelligent and well spoken is a bad thing? Why do they think it's okay for their "boo" to be in jail and/or having two or three other women who call them "boo"?
I'm black, I live on an island that's population is predominantly black, but even in our own race we don't love the darkness of our skin. I won't lie, when I was younger, I wished I was white, but that was because I was teased when I was very young. I've grown to love my colour, love my hair which can not be combed easily if it's not wet. Perhaps, my parents didn't sit down with me and tell me that I was beautifully black, that my kinky hair is what makes me stand out and that the curves that have yet to come are my birthright, but I promise you my daughter will learn to love herself unconditionally, my son will love himself and both shall learn to respect themselves and others, whatever their race or creed.
At the end of the day, our blood bleeds red, we all have two lungs, two kidneys, one heart and one brain. Hopefully, we can all use the last two organs to love and respect each other.
Just my thoughts.
Let me start off with my own experience. Okay, I'm born, I have dark skin, no problem, I live on an island with people with dark skin. I am. Then I go to school and we're learning history, we start off with the native Americans, basically, the people who were here before the rest of us. And I kid you not when we reached that point, I thought we were Indians. The teacher said no, we're black, we'll be getting to that. And we did get to that, and we acknowledged that we were descendants from slaves. Then we move on to western history. In history, I learned about the American Revolution, the French Revolution, a bit about the Caribbean Revolutions, and I think about some of the South American Revolutions.
Now here is my issue, that is all well and good, but I think we have to really look at our history. On this island, I want to know about the people who made us the people who we are. I've learned more out of school than in school about what black people had to go through in the past. I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of, in fact it is something to hold up and say, "In spite of all that was thrown at a people, they kept going. They kept going until the world changed."
I am black, and I come a very strong set of people, both strong and wise. I come from a set of people who refuse to be broken. I come from a set of people who knew how to survive and adapt. I come from a set of people who knew how to yield like a bamboo in a storm, it bends but it does not break.
It was quite by coincidence that I read two books that centered around blacks in the states around the turn of the century. The first was Black Gold by Anita Richmond Bunkley and the second was Alex Cross's Trial. Both books were very enlightening, they both showed how ignorance, hatred, and people's refusal to let go of the status quo could keep a people down.
After reading the books, especially Alex Cross's Trial, I saw how present day black people have taken on the rhetoric once used by hateful white people. For instance, back in the day, hateful white people would come down hard on a black person who tried to get an education, now black people are mocking their peers if they try to get an education, if they speak properly. They go so far as to call them Oreos, white on the inside, black on the outside. So sad. Why do black people nowadays thing being intelligent and well spoken is a bad thing? Why do they think it's okay for their "boo" to be in jail and/or having two or three other women who call them "boo"?
I'm black, I live on an island that's population is predominantly black, but even in our own race we don't love the darkness of our skin. I won't lie, when I was younger, I wished I was white, but that was because I was teased when I was very young. I've grown to love my colour, love my hair which can not be combed easily if it's not wet. Perhaps, my parents didn't sit down with me and tell me that I was beautifully black, that my kinky hair is what makes me stand out and that the curves that have yet to come are my birthright, but I promise you my daughter will learn to love herself unconditionally, my son will love himself and both shall learn to respect themselves and others, whatever their race or creed.
At the end of the day, our blood bleeds red, we all have two lungs, two kidneys, one heart and one brain. Hopefully, we can all use the last two organs to love and respect each other.
Just my thoughts.
