I’m a Black man, and I have some Native American heritage. It shows most demonstratively in the texture of my hair. When my hair is at a certain length I’m often asked about my nationality. When I say that I’m Black, I’m usually asked what I’m mixed with.
While I’m fully aware of what the question entails, I always answer “Black and Blacker.” I say so in jest, while not joking in fact. I do this because I am fully content identifying as Black.
My skin is as Black as the night and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
In the spectrum of “flyness” in my opinion, nothing could be more fly. It seems however, that I’m alone in thinking this. Cultural pride seems to be at an all time low for Black people.
It seems we’ve internalized and accepted everything that our oppressor inundated us with since our ancestors were brought to this land: the idea that we are inferior. We accept being late. It’s simply CP time and that’s just how we are.
When trending topics on Twitter are about Black versions of anything, instead of simply putting our own spin on it, we make it the defiled and perverted version of the perfect (read: White) original. Some of our women do everything to alter the natural state of their hair because it has been deemed “bad,” by those who dictate the status quo, a notion we’ve now come to accept.
We shun clothing designed by Black people and embrace designs from people who aren’t built like us.
What’s most disturbing is how some of us make it our business to ensure that people are aware of everything in their background besides African roots. They do so not to embrace their heritage, but distance themselves from Black people.
The irony of this is that the other nationalities they claim (true or not) don’t accept them. Some people who’ve emigrated from Caribbean islands claim not to be Black, oblivious to the fact that their ancestors were simply dropped off on smaller pieces of land and were also victims of European conquest. Most share the same African roots they so vehemently distance themselves from, while not realizing that those poor souls who hate Black people, hate them, too.
Why isn’t being Black good enough? What exactly is the reason we have a negative feeling towards ourselves? As a dark skinned man, when the sun shines on me my skin it reflects it back. So in effect, the sun is my shadow. How powerful is that?
What could possibly be so wrong with us that we don’t want to identify with a race of people who are in the never ending process of overcoming 400 years of oppression and subjugation? Why not associate and take great pride in being part of a people who in spite of the fact that we only comprise 12-13 percent of the American population dictate the ebb and flow of popular culture?
People of other cultures yearn to look, act, dress and entertain the way we do. They spend millions of dollars and go to great lengths to achieve everything that comes natural to us. So then being Black and everything associated with it is something to take pride in and I would encourage all of my brothers and sisters to do so.