Monique Campbell Separated not by birth, but by the miseducation of an ethnicity, describes the African-American race in an entirety. The time has come for our race to relinquish the negative stereotypes and uplift our race as a whole. The urgency for the African-American race to unite can never truly be expressed. The famous quote states, “A family that prays together, stays together.” Although history revealed that African-Americans were in warfare prior to slavery, we were still considered a united nation as a whole. Since the invention of Jim Crow Laws, blacks were spoon-fed lies about their heritage and the handbook of hatred was distributed in a plethora. Children were taught to be submissive to the term ****** and embrace their false names of Tom, Berry, and John. They were encouraged to exterminate any “negative” factors of their race such as: Marcus Garvey’s Back to Africa Movement and Nat Turner’s **** rebellion. The identity of an African transformed into the identity of an African-American, and when a race loses its identity the effects can be deplorable. Hope remains because anything worth recognition encompasses a struggle. It is important for African –Americans to save our race from the shambles so we can truly identify our purpose in life, appreciate the strife that our ancestors consistently encountered, and finally rebuild our race to be the most powerful and dominant. A wound must first be cleaned before its cured; therefore, African- Americans must first clarify and educate our race about their history before we can teach others. Leaders, innovators, celebrities, and parents must reach out to children, who represent tomorrow’s leaders. Websites such as Facebook and Myspace should have an Africa Unite network and group, which encourages children to post any historical question or concern about their race. Then, a historian or a person with an in-depth knowledge will illuminate and resolve their inquiry. The community can become interactive by hosting/sponsoring an African Embrace Festival, which allows the entire community to network and learn how to support each others businesses, so the community as a whole can flourish in wealth and prosperity. In addition, more community centers should be established in the African-American community. Children yearn for a safe haven to engage in positive activities; however, with the lack of community centers the streets act as makeshift home. The easiest way to target children is to have well-respected figures in the community reach out to them. Rap artists such as: Young Jeezy, P.Diddy, and other icons should enlighten their fans on political and social issues currently affect our ever-changing nation. Next, proactive movements should be widely recognized. Alicia Key’s Open Door Scholarship and the NAACP’s consistent activity with the welfare of the African-American race ease the burden of impoverished children and adults. More groups and foundations should be established to continue to uplift the good deeds. A broken heart can not mend within a day; therefore a broken race can not be fixed in a day. Problems will recapitulate; however, it’s up to the African-American race to begin the healing process. We must use any means possible (Malcolm X), in order to fix this problem. Popular websites such as Facebook a Myspace should function as engine of opportunity to develop friendships and establish a brotherhood. The memory of previous set-backs should be extinguished and the socio- economic boundaries should be broken. Let us thrive as a race and never again bee miseducated.
