I'll admit for a long time, till I hit college, I envied other cultures; West Indians, Latinos, etc.. because I felt that they had something I didn't. They had a flag, a different language, a certain look, they knew what country their ancestors came from, etc. I felt like American blacks were just muts that didn't really have a culture or a country but the older I got, the more I saw that Black American's DO a very colorful and lively culture. Black is baked macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, collard greens, grits, smothered chicken and gravy, and candied yams to name a few. Black is Jazz, R&B, Soul, Funk, Doo Wop, Hip Hop, and even Rock & Roll. Black is the Charleston, Swing, Chicago Stepping, Stepping, Soul trin, Hip Hop,Crumping. Black is America. We are a huuuuge part of the American dream. I am a proud Black American. We are the reason America is where it is today. 200+ years America had free labor to build this country up and it was our blood, sweat and tears that did it. After the Civil War, it was many of us that rebuilt the South. My flag is the American flag.
My history is Slavery, Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes, Bernie Mac, John Legend, Omar Tyree, Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B DuBois, Benjamin Banneker, Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, the Underground Railroad, Freedom Quilts, Frederick Douglas, Sojourner Truth, Sanaa Lathan, the Civil Rights Movement (that made this country a better place for ALL minorities), the Supremes, NAACP, the National Pan Hallenic Council, Historically Black Colleges & Universities, Dorothy Dandridge-the first black woman to be nominated for an Emmy, Michael Jordan, The Temptations, Ray Charles, Jill Scott, Eartha Kitt, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Ru Paul, Louis Armstrong, Michael Jackson, Madam CJ Walker, Oprah, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, P Diddy, Russell Simmons, Jesse Jackson, Barack Obama, Halle Berry, Tyra Banks, Kevan Hall (fashion designer), Tracy Reese (fashion designer), Steven Burrows (fashion designer)Will Smith, Beyonce, Denzel Washington........ We have so much to be proud of and a rich culture and history.
I am not hating on other cultures at all. I appreciate the beauty of all cultures and love that the world has variety. I am simply taking pride in the beauty of mine and where mine fits in history and in the WORLD. My family is from many different states in the South including North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Alabama. My culture intertwines with Native Americans as there are many in my family tree. My paternal great-great-great grandmothers were one Cherokee and the other Black Foot Indian. One of my maternal great-great-great grandmothers a freed slave. I want to do a family tree to learn more about my family and my family history. I feel I can enjoy other cultures MORE b/c I love and enjoy mine and all that it has contributed to history, America, and the world.
Love who you are. You are phenominal, bright, and inspiring. Make your mark on this world and go after your dreams. No dream is too big or too small or impossible. Never give up. Remember that you get what you give. Don't waste your precious energy doubting yourself, disliking yourself, hating others, hating your situation, hating your past....... Spend your time working to make things better, the house you live in better, the relationship with your family better, your finances better, your health better, the neighborhood you live in better, the community you're a part of better, our children better, our children's education better, your city better, your state better, your country better, the world better....... Life means nothing without a purpose. Find yours and GO!
