Black Pride: Why you have so little.
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Posted By: Tamisha Jackson on July 16, 2006 * This was a response to people on Myspace/Facebook who are always so negative towards my views because they do not understand- I originally posted it on MYSPACE is June, So I decided to post it now.* I am exhausted of being the only one who still cares. I am exhausted of reaching out and grabbing in to our culture. I am exhausted of being ssshed or grunted at when I make a single comment to uplift and build character. But I cannot give up. King did not. X did not. Davis did not. Therefore I will not. We still have some ways to go. And a longer way for us to rediscover ourselves and see what we are doing to our own people. I am merely 18 years old, and it sickens me that I have more drive and motivation than people twice my age, who are supposedly more wise and aware. I have learned more in the past five months than I have in my entire life and it was through reading. Reading provoked thought. Thought provoked Dialogue. Dialogue provoked listening. Listening provoked a change. Do you really think things have changed since the days our grandparents were getting chased by dogs, hosed down, beaten in the head and spat upon? Yes. Quite simply because it doesnt happen anymore. But believe it or not Prince Georges County, Maryland, in Jefferson City, Missouri, racism still exists. That is another topic. This blog is about black pride; why I have so much, and why you have so little. I find it disturbing when people single me out with a description or synopses say "you are afrocentric," "she is down with black power." I find it even more disturbing, better yet, inconceivable how my own black brothers and sisters can wave me off when I start talking about how intelligent we are, beautiful we are nevertheless, how the struggle continues within ourselves. The reason why I am so disturbed because I feel that everyone should be like me. Why am I singled out? Why am I misunderstood? Why am I placed into a category of blackness, with you not by my side? This situation makes no sense and is utterly a saddening to see the direction of black pride, confidence, belonging, and belief. When you tell me that I am down with black power and black pride, my only response is "why are you not?" When you tell me that I am afrocentric, my only response is "why are you not?" But when you tell me that no one wants to hear that nonsense my only response is grief. Now what exactly is this blasphemy I speak of? Dr. Molefi Kete Asante, defines it in his book Afrocentricity: The theory of Social Change, . "Afrocentricity is the placing of African people in the center of analysis of African phenomena... In terms of action and behavior, it is a devotion to the idea that what has the best interest of African consciousness is at the heart of ethical behavior. " In a nutshell, it is a devotion to your culture as well as knowledge of your culture. You believe in the ultimate power of your kind or race-- Now, what is wrong with that? Absolutely nothing. Listen to yourselves think about what you are saying about your own selves, your own heritage. Wake up. With out a past you have no future, and my beautiful black people believe it or not but history repeats itself. We are digging a deeper hole of self-hate, disconnect, separation, and ignorance. Music vs. Politics "We are the same. We have come a long way, we are fine now. Look how many black people are doing something." Oh really, how are they helping you? Look at popular music. The music industry is dominated by hip-hop. On the contrary look at legislature, congress. Who and what do we dominate? Really are the musicians going to change the world? NO. They can try, the very few that do, kudos to you and peace and love, but music is not the same as politics. Yes, it can be, but, no it is not. The music with meaningful messages pertaining to this area of conversation are never the ones on the radio, BET, MTV, and VH1. The types of music we praise are the ones that bury us deeper into stigmas. Please do not get me wrong. I love hip-hop. I love rap. No other music can get me going. I own the CDs, I party to them and I sing along, but I know the differences and I know what I am doing. Beautiful people, stop looking at the world through your radio. Stop looking at the world through your CD player. Stop looking at the world through your IPod. I say this because our vision of success has been distorted into a category of music and sports. Not everyone can be Beyonce. Not everyone can be Kobe. We have defined black success into a miniscule category of music domination and athletics- not intellectual, or financial domination. Why can we only say OPRAH is making the FORBES List. Who ELSE? Whites have countless amounts of wealthy people. TRUST ME, WE ARE NOT THERE YET! I also say this because people around the world look at us and laugh. Extended family from the motherland, yes Africa, look at us in the videos and cut off all ties of heritage. They label us as silly, disgraceful Americans. Stop giving the argument of black existence credit to Musicians and Athletes. Yes, music makes the world go around and music is universal. Black Musicians credit others, but we are stressing too much of an importance in music than in acting, writing, law making, and history. Back in the day in the 1930-60s we used music as a crutch to show that blacks were not incompetent, asinine and definitely as talented as whites. Music was our only breakthrough, we were already assumed as unintelligent, intolerant and gullible, but Blacks used music as a scapegoat, a painting without paint, but, instead melody, groove, funk. As Kanye West says "Music was our only medicine," it healed us; it gave us a sense of pride. But now that vision of music carrying us to the mountaintop has got distorted. Do not get me wrong, music is a gift and I undoubtedly believe that Blacks are some of the most talented musicians on the face of the earth- my IPOD is dominated by the beauty. However, these are not the people who make decisions for you in the future. Mad props, Diddy, for not only running the city but for encouraging the community to vote, you are an exception. But brothers and sisters, we are there musically, but are we there politically? All because we exist and popularize in mainstream music and sports does not mean that we reached the mountaintop financially, socially and politically. The athletes and musicians have money. We do not. "So, Honestly, ARE WE THERE YET ? "~T.Jack over and out~ If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Tamisha Jackson
Program Coordinator of Student Success Program, Towson University Bowie State University class of 2009 Member Since July 2006 |
Comments
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By the way, I agree with You 100%, never give up and we all get weary, God even covered this for Young Folk, just like You, Isaiah 40:28-31...
Monday, July 17th 2006 at 2:11AM |
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For anyone reading this. This was a lashback response on Myspace that I copied and pasted. I still feel the same. Because this applies to my friends who dont feel the same. This was not intended for HBCU connect--- it was for MYSPACE. ~thanks for reading tho Tuesday, July 18th 2006 at 1:02AM |
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