SEGREGATION, SLAVERY, SUCCESS
I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BLACK PEOPLE AND I THINK THIS IS AN ISSUE I'VE HAD FOR YEARS NOW AND MORE AND MORE AS I GET OLDER I SEE IT'S A PROBLEM. US AS BLACKS ARE SO STUCK ON THIS NOTION THAT WE SOMEHOW MUST DISTINGUISH OURSELVES FROM OUR WHITE COUNTERPARTS IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.
AT THE END OF THE DAY DESPITE SKIN TONE WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS, WITH SOME OF THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS AND TRAITS; THIS IS A FOOLISH BELIEF. IN SUBTLE WAYS YOU HEAR AND WITNESS IT, IN THINGS LIKE YOU'RE SPEAKING WHITE OR NOT DRESSING LIKE YOU'RE URBAN ENOUGH OR SIMPLY YOU'RE NOT BLACK ENOUGH. WHAT'S BEING BLACK ENOUGH? IGNORANT? UNEDUCATED? MISSPOKEN? USELESS? PLEASE SOMEONE PUT ME ONTO WHAT'S BEING MORE BLACK OR BLACK ENOUGH. BETTER YET, WHAT IS A BLACK ROLE? BECAUSE IF BEING BLACK IS ANYTHING CLOSE TO WHAT I JUST STATED, PLEASE SPARE ME BECAUSE THEN I RATHER BE ASSOCIATED WITH NOT BEING BLACK ENOUGH.
I READ AN ARTICLE CRITICIZING THE OWN NETWORK AND TYLER PERRY FOR HIS MOVIES AND SHOWS THAT DEPICT BLACKS IN STEREOTYPICAL ROLES. WHAT'S A STEREOTYPICAL BLACK ROLE? DRUG DEALER? PROSTITUTE? DEAD BEAT DAD? LAST I CHECKED THERE WERE WHITES OF THOSE SAME CLASSIFICATIONS; ON TV, IN MOVIES AND IN REAL LIFE. LAST TIME I CHECKED OPRAH WAS THE ONLY BLACK WOMAN THAT OWNED A TELEVISION NETWORK AND TYLER IS ONE OF HOLLYWOOD'S LOVED FACES AND PERSONALITIES. SO ARE THEY NOT BLACK ENOUGH, DO THEY SPEAK WHITE, DO THEY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE URBAN?
DO WE AS AFRICAN AMERICANS EVER STOP AND ASK OURSELVES, DO WE BRING SOME OF THIS OPPRESSION AND TORMENT ON OURSELVES? I'VE WORKED ALONGSIDE WHITES, BLACKS, HISPANICS, INDIANS, JEWS, AND MANY OTHERS AND ONE THING I ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT IS WE ARE ALL THE SAME IN MANY WAYS. ALL WE SEE IS DIFFERENCE THOUGH; WE EAT SOME OF THE SAME FOODS, WATCH SOME OF THE SAME SHOWS, DRESS ALIKE IN MANY WAYS, FEEL EMOTIONAL ABOUT SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES, AND IT COULD GO ON FOR DAYS.
SEGREGATION ENDED 50 SOME YEARS AGO, BUT IN MANY WAYS, US AFRICAN AMERICANS CONTINUE THESES IDEOLOGIES IN REVERSE AND I BEGIN TO ASK MYSELF WHY? UNTIL WE AS AFRICAN AMERICANS ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE FREE, WE WILL ALWAYS BE CONFINED BY THE BONDS OF IGNORANCE, SELF-HATRED, & DISCRIMINATION AGAINST OURSELVES. WE ARE JUST AS EQUAL, WE ARE EQUAL WHY CAN'T WE SEE THIS. WE ARE JUST AS EQUAL TO SPEAK PROPER, BE EDUCATED, PLAY A HOOKER OR WHAT EVER ELSE. WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS, WE CAN DO BETTER.
WE CONTINUE TO MAKE AND USE THESES EXCUSES OF SLAVERY, LET IT GO YOU WEREN'T CHAINED, WHIPPED, OR SOLD, HOW DO YOU EVEN CLOSELY RELATE TO SUCH A STRUGGLE. AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY ARE EXCUSES, WE ARE WAY TOO EDUCATED AND HAVE WAY TOO MUCH ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE TO LET SUCH IGNORANCE PREVAIL IN TODAY'S SOCIETY. THE CLASSIC QUOTE SUMS UP OUR CURRENT "ENDEAVORS" "EXCUSES ARE TOOLS OF THE INCOMPETENT USED TO BUILD MONUMENTS OF NOTHINGNESS". WE ARE BUILDING MONUMENTS OF NOTHINGNESS WITH THIS BEHAVIOR. THE SYSTEM THAT EVERYONE WISHES TO SPEAK OF WAS AGAINST US AND RIGHTLY SO IN SOME CASES THERE ARE STILL SITUATIONS THAT NEED TO BE CORRECTED, BUT I REFUSE TO PERPETUATE THIS NOTION THAT THE SYSTEM IS STILL AGAINST US. UNTIL WE LEAVE THAT MINDSET IN THE PAST WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE RIGHT WHERE WE ARE.
PONDER THIS... DO YOU THINK OUR ANCESTORS IF GIVEN EVEN A SMALL PORTION OF THE OPPORTUNITIES WE ARE GIVEN TODAY WOULD COME UP WITH A THIRD OF THE EXCUSES WE COME UP WITH NOW? THEY WOULD LAUGH AT US AND WOULD BE EMBARRASSED AT WHAT WE CURRENTLY CALL ROADBLOCKS TO OUR SUCCESS. THE TIME IS NOW, OUR TIME IS NOW.
AT THE END OF THE DAY DESPITE SKIN TONE WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS, WITH SOME OF THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS AND TRAITS; THIS IS A FOOLISH BELIEF. IN SUBTLE WAYS YOU HEAR AND WITNESS IT, IN THINGS LIKE YOU'RE SPEAKING WHITE OR NOT DRESSING LIKE YOU'RE URBAN ENOUGH OR SIMPLY YOU'RE NOT BLACK ENOUGH. WHAT'S BEING BLACK ENOUGH? IGNORANT? UNEDUCATED? MISSPOKEN? USELESS? PLEASE SOMEONE PUT ME ONTO WHAT'S BEING MORE BLACK OR BLACK ENOUGH. BETTER YET, WHAT IS A BLACK ROLE? BECAUSE IF BEING BLACK IS ANYTHING CLOSE TO WHAT I JUST STATED, PLEASE SPARE ME BECAUSE THEN I RATHER BE ASSOCIATED WITH NOT BEING BLACK ENOUGH.
I READ AN ARTICLE CRITICIZING THE OWN NETWORK AND TYLER PERRY FOR HIS MOVIES AND SHOWS THAT DEPICT BLACKS IN STEREOTYPICAL ROLES. WHAT'S A STEREOTYPICAL BLACK ROLE? DRUG DEALER? PROSTITUTE? DEAD BEAT DAD? LAST I CHECKED THERE WERE WHITES OF THOSE SAME CLASSIFICATIONS; ON TV, IN MOVIES AND IN REAL LIFE. LAST TIME I CHECKED OPRAH WAS THE ONLY BLACK WOMAN THAT OWNED A TELEVISION NETWORK AND TYLER IS ONE OF HOLLYWOOD'S LOVED FACES AND PERSONALITIES. SO ARE THEY NOT BLACK ENOUGH, DO THEY SPEAK WHITE, DO THEY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE URBAN?
DO WE AS AFRICAN AMERICANS EVER STOP AND ASK OURSELVES, DO WE BRING SOME OF THIS OPPRESSION AND TORMENT ON OURSELVES? I'VE WORKED ALONGSIDE WHITES, BLACKS, HISPANICS, INDIANS, JEWS, AND MANY OTHERS AND ONE THING I ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT IS WE ARE ALL THE SAME IN MANY WAYS. ALL WE SEE IS DIFFERENCE THOUGH; WE EAT SOME OF THE SAME FOODS, WATCH SOME OF THE SAME SHOWS, DRESS ALIKE IN MANY WAYS, FEEL EMOTIONAL ABOUT SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES, AND IT COULD GO ON FOR DAYS.
SEGREGATION ENDED 50 SOME YEARS AGO, BUT IN MANY WAYS, US AFRICAN AMERICANS CONTINUE THESES IDEOLOGIES IN REVERSE AND I BEGIN TO ASK MYSELF WHY? UNTIL WE AS AFRICAN AMERICANS ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE FREE, WE WILL ALWAYS BE CONFINED BY THE BONDS OF IGNORANCE, SELF-HATRED, & DISCRIMINATION AGAINST OURSELVES. WE ARE JUST AS EQUAL, WE ARE EQUAL WHY CAN'T WE SEE THIS. WE ARE JUST AS EQUAL TO SPEAK PROPER, BE EDUCATED, PLAY A HOOKER OR WHAT EVER ELSE. WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS, WE CAN DO BETTER.
WE CONTINUE TO MAKE AND USE THESES EXCUSES OF SLAVERY, LET IT GO YOU WEREN'T CHAINED, WHIPPED, OR SOLD, HOW DO YOU EVEN CLOSELY RELATE TO SUCH A STRUGGLE. AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY ARE EXCUSES, WE ARE WAY TOO EDUCATED AND HAVE WAY TOO MUCH ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE TO LET SUCH IGNORANCE PREVAIL IN TODAY'S SOCIETY. THE CLASSIC QUOTE SUMS UP OUR CURRENT "ENDEAVORS" "EXCUSES ARE TOOLS OF THE INCOMPETENT USED TO BUILD MONUMENTS OF NOTHINGNESS". WE ARE BUILDING MONUMENTS OF NOTHINGNESS WITH THIS BEHAVIOR. THE SYSTEM THAT EVERYONE WISHES TO SPEAK OF WAS AGAINST US AND RIGHTLY SO IN SOME CASES THERE ARE STILL SITUATIONS THAT NEED TO BE CORRECTED, BUT I REFUSE TO PERPETUATE THIS NOTION THAT THE SYSTEM IS STILL AGAINST US. UNTIL WE LEAVE THAT MINDSET IN THE PAST WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE RIGHT WHERE WE ARE.
PONDER THIS... DO YOU THINK OUR ANCESTORS IF GIVEN EVEN A SMALL PORTION OF THE OPPORTUNITIES WE ARE GIVEN TODAY WOULD COME UP WITH A THIRD OF THE EXCUSES WE COME UP WITH NOW? THEY WOULD LAUGH AT US AND WOULD BE EMBARRASSED AT WHAT WE CURRENTLY CALL ROADBLOCKS TO OUR SUCCESS. THE TIME IS NOW, OUR TIME IS NOW.
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