Our Own
Black
Minds
Now we're getting into the heart of the matter. By means of the evidence presented in our last article, It's Out Of My Hands, my audience has been afforded a socioeconomic and social-political view of American society. To this date, it has been more than four hundred fifty-nine years since that eventful day; when our people were made manservants and woman-servants—to a race—i.e., a group of people other than ourselves, for several hundred years; a decision condoned by the same government we futilely hope to somehow reconcile and remedy our present condition. To this date, we have yet to establish ourselves (culturally speaking), as a people, distinctly separate from the dominant culture that produced our abnormality from Blacks in other countries.
Prior to the 1960s, there was an open distrust, by our elder Blacks, of hospitals, promises, and customs demonstrated by White Americans. This was because of past deeds and legislation (prior to constitutional amendments) which includes chronicles of lynchings and open brutalities, on the part of the American public, the government and law enforcement. One has only to study The Trail of Tears, to see all these forces at work to achieve a common goal by The Powers That Be. Nonetheless, there emerged two distinct societies—one Black and one White; And Blacks pretty much stuck to their customs and traditions (until the 1960s)--while knowing many of their White American counterparts. Knowing their ways became important because our people, during that time, did not want to rile the White community up and have vigilante groups or local authorities exact retribution for the offense. During that time, Blacks weren't really protected by American society or government—just intimidated and often disrespected by it. This period in American history is called Segregation.
Now continuing with customs our families developed based upon individual ancestry, while shying away from the customs you don't like in American society is not auto or self-determination; neither is it nationalism. It's just a form of "grin and bear it"—because it does not prompt social change. Often we feel our situation is different—or we're taking care of it ourselves, in our way—so there's no worries; But while you are making adjustments—you are still suffering in fear because the approach too personal. There's only but so much you can do as an individual, you know. . . And while you think you're handling the situation, the reality is you've let that situation define you! Your behavior is not auto-determination, self determination or nationalism; it's isolationism.
A nationalist is a person who loves the group of people he or she comes from. A nationalist has a non-compromising belief in his people. A nationalist is a community oriented, socially conscious person. Nationalism is a group reality held by every individual who belongs to that group. Nationalism is a belief in one's people, in a way in which one would believe in oneself. Nothing is impossible for a person who believes in himself--and nothing is impossible for a people who believe in nationalism. This is a very important point to grasp—particularly since today, there's not a whole lot of love out there for, or between our people. Nationalism is the antithesis to rugged individualism--which is something America is famous for (they like to call it freedom). Auto-determination is called, Kujichagulia, in Swahili; one of the seven principles of the Nguzo Saba, the conceptualization part of the Kwanzaa celebration. As stated somewhat below, Kujichagulia means, "To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves, instead of being defined by others." This means to think as a people, look out for each other as a group, protect our own interests, and plan for a future as a Nation.
Many times, you might believe that you are the only one who's being intimidated by a bully; but once you begin to talk—you'll see that there were others out there—just like you; going through the same situations. It maybe even by the same bully! Once that happens, you'll realize that you are not alone; In fact, there's a whole lot of people out there, just like you. And once everyone decides to have a real heart to heart, that discussion might be just the thing to spark-up your resolve; help build up your confidence to redefine yourselves and your position—help you strategize, organize, and find some solutions.
One of the single most problems facing the Black community today in America is the so-called communication media called the internet, cell and smartphones, video games, cable and satellite TV. It has done more to make us become individualistic, isolationistic, and practice bigotry—like so many Whites have been for decades; especially when it comes down to our youth. This idea of communication leads to the notion that as long as you're satisfied, you don't need anyone else—particularly since it has allowed you to be able to shop and buy stocks without ever leaving your home!
The idea of eating wrong foods because your forefathers ate those same things (like soul food), without you questioning it, is also an example of following customs based upon ancestry while shying away from the diet options in America--but it does not offer much growth and development--a key factor of auto-determination and national pride.
"To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves, instead of being defined by others."
The slavery experience--an institution perpetrated upon us by so many of the American colonists; spearheaded by many of the Angeln and Saxony people (tribes of Germany which conquered Britain) [keep in mind Angeland wanted to make America a British colony]. These Anglo-Saxon traders kidnapped numerous central Asians or African people from various tribes of within that area, for the purpose of servitude to their people; subjugating our people to a system which transformed our various world views, and in effect created a people without cultural identity.
The slave trade systematically separated central Asian tribes from each other before bringing them to America and obliterated family ties in the process; so that the only accurate recollection in which the majority of Black families could make concerning their homeland and heritage--could only be traced back to that event and institution in which the English started--which is slavery. The only real cultural traits we consistently witness during that time, belong to the people we were subject to; otherwise there was no cultural input! In effect, we became fallen Kings and queens without crown or country. Meaning; you might be important, and know that all our tribes we came from were derived from the so-called African part of Asia; you might have even held important positions in those societies--but due to the slavery practices in this country, it became impossible for us to know which particular tribe we came from or which traditions to help us shape and define ourselves. Over here, the colonists viewed us as just chattel property, or slaves; and therefore inferior to them.
There have been many cases where various peoples, living in different lands, found themselves under bondage for more than one or two generations, and have won their independence. In some cases, it may have been several hundred years or more. As well, there's been several cases where invaders have come into various lands and have subdued that population under their ways, ruled over them for several hundred years and—once again, the conquered people have rose up, won their independence; reestablishing their cultural prominence.
Those familiar with Zohar, Talmud, and Torah—by way of the books of Pentateuch—know of the such captivities, subjugations, and resurgences, concerning the Hebrew people. They also know that Moses is accredited for enriching Hebrew people with Khamit wisdom (which are the several books mentioned in chapters of Pentateuch and the esoteric system of Kabala), during their sojourn within so-called Egypt (as Moses was also anointed prince in Khamit's royal family) lands.
England's history is no more than a series of hostile takeovers by outside European peoples; starting with the early viking raids and subsequent settlements, then there's Emperor Claudius and Roman conquests—the Teutonic occupiers from Jutland and the Germanic Angles and Saxony tribes—culminating into the Norman invasion by William, The Conquerer, and the Battle of Hastings in 1066; Not to mention the wars of unification, ushered in by Edward I against Wales, Scotland—and other indigenous members of the British Isles. Throughout these assaults, the Britons have been able to bounce back and reinsert their liberty. Even the native Americans have been subjugated and maintained more than a modicum of their cultural aspects and interests afterwards. In fact, there has been many subjugated people on this planet who eventually regained their independence and reestablished themselves as a separate people. Why haven't we done the same? What about us?
For starters, with Blacks living in America, there is quite a lot of disassociation. For some of us, the root of the disassociation has come about from simply convincing yourself that this isn't happening. Not that anyone in America can or will pretend that slavery didn't happen—but in reference to the ones who are descendants of those who were enslaved, the disassociation may manifest as having an aversion to learning anything about the subject. This phenomena is similar to watching the Tarzan movies, wherein the so-called Africans are depicted as uncivilized ignorant, animalistic creatures; grunting utterances with bones piercing through their noses! Once our people saw this—many of us did not want to be identified with such a negative stereotype and began to disassociate ourselves with the natives—and more with the depicted hero. However, instead of seeing this image as just the author's view on Africans--some of us saw it as the truth about our past. We didn't take the abundance of such films, as an indication of how White people in America preferred looking at it—we took it as an eyewitness account as to how things really are. The truth is; It is just an image and that image—and like beauty—it happens to be in the eye of the beholder. But subliminally, we forgot we were watching a film based upon another man's view of the world—instead, we took it to be The Gospel! We forgot the film was made for someone else! It is simply a perception that another group has concerning us, and that is all that it is; but since it reflects the views that many of the class of people which rule this country has—it is a perception which is detrimental to our placement within the rest of American society.
The movie, its characterizations and its depictions of reality, are based upon the way a majority of Americans see things. This only makes sense, because the movie was made for the New Americans. It was made to strengthen their views—not far from movies made build character and raise up their self-esteem. The Tarzan image says, "I'm so smart and resourceful—stripped down to my bear essentials, I'm still smart enough to rise above complete savagery." The movie Tarzan, was made to depict his native antagonists as wild, savage and mortal enemies—much like those in World War I propaganda posters. Black children born in the "1960s to early 1970s" never viewed themselves as outsiders—they may have saw that their world was a little different from the White world—but generally they thought like most other children thought: "This land was made for you and me!" When we pledged allegiance to the flag, we included ourselves in as Americans! The problem is, White America has a different view of the Blackman's place in the sun. The problem is, this pledge of allegiance doesn't work both ways. The problem was, and is, we are watching their movies about us; demoralizing us—depicting us as their enemies and people who can't be trusted—when in reality many of us seek gainful employment from them and thoughts like that affect their chances!
When I as young, I used to watch Tarzan on American TV; with Tarzan being depicted as the hero (a White man raised as a primate--yet smarter than all the tribes in so-called Africa). I watched this program as a child, totally unaware of the predicament my people around the world were in; I knew relatively little about my people's past in America (or any place where my people had come in contact with the European for that matter). I was never taught about so-called race relations as a child. Therefore, I was confused about the paradigm I was seeing; I was identifying more and more with Tarzan and his side-kick Boy as I watched; hoping--each week--Tarzan would resolve his dilemma and come out all right, or crazier still, victorious over the natives! This scenario is similar to the influx of White teachers in Black communities, who educate us in preparation for living in American society--yet they did not live in, nor had any part in the politics of the communities in which we live; much like the rich US senators who are responsible for constructing the various medicare packages, which they themselves will never use (because their package will be far more superior). This is truly and literally, "A Tale of Two Cities."
There are a few things wrong with the above perspective, on the part of our people: Number one, I should have known about the chronology of my people before I became a man—i.e., our legacy, our heritage, and our past; for without that knowledge, my relationship to everything around me is falsely assessed and compromised. The proper relationships between who my people are, and/or their relationship with those who brought them here, could never be fully established, without the truth of what happened. I was certainly taught the dangers of behaving certain ways around White folks--for fear of repercussions. . . Now I could dearly appreciate that in the past there were perils associated with teaching such knowledge*—both on the part of those who shared it, and possible adversed reactions on the part of those who received it; however, for something so important as The Truth, ingenuity deems that where there's a will, there's a way.
But as you probably surmised, there are some extenuating circumstances surrounding this situation: Black people who now live in America (for the most part), are the product of many raids by neighboring countries; being both prisoners of war and captives from various Black lands and continental shores. Many of our people were sold to the White traders by neighboring Blacks—both for greed and under the rules of so-called African warfare—for the purpose of servitude (as Central Asia defines servitude). Little did these opportunists realize that by selling their brothers to those traders, they subjected their own people to a fate far crueler than the trespasses that family members tend to perpetrate on each other from time to time. . .
Those of us ill-fated, were considered by these colonial land stealing Europeans, as property; menial servants or slaves--to be utilized in every possible way: similar to how a pig in America is consumed; right down to the bones as gelatin! We were also considered as sub-human—we had no rights equal to Whites; not even our basic human rights. Even our children were their possessions—to be dispensed for trade as one would trade a liter of kittens or puppies--even-though, in Western history, they have treated the animals better!
Under slavery statutes in America, it was illegal for slaves to read or write, have any rights, or own any property. Yes, slavery was institutionalized in America! Under American laws, if a slave master killed his slave while administering chastisement—no legal action would be taken (since a slave is considered his master's property/to be used according to his prerogative). This basically means, a White man could have taken a Black man's life—simply because he was feeling that way--and relatively nothing would be done about it. This is the epitome of what it means to be subjugated. And in a land where money means everything today—you can be right and treated as though you are wrong—if your cash flow is not strong (and sometimes not even then/when you consider). Mike Tyson vs. Desiree Washington (i.e., here's two stories to review).
This put extreme pressure on us, as a people to survive. Our existence as individual tribes and countries had been compromised; as the slave regulatory laws, Cecil Rhodes, and Britain redefined the constituency of tribal peoples in Africa, Britain, the Caribbean Islands, and the United States. Make no mistake—we are like kings and queens without a country—in America. Over, here we are under their cultural and traditional regulation, because they founded American society. The complexion of White society's behavior towards Blacks in America is greatly influenced by the institution of slavery in the United States. The idea that America was established to be a colony of Europe dictates what the cultural matrix will be for the country. *The birth of the Klu Klux Klan, Jim Crow Laws, bigotry, vigilanteism, and public lynchings of rural and urban blacks until the late 1950s--are examples of such attitudes developed by the White community and perpetrated upon the Black community in America—as a result of the psychological and sociological effects of institutionalized slavery, right here in the United States!
*One can easily see how these types of elements could serve to function as intimidation factors towards Blacks in this country—and why some who might have experienced such things would be apprehensive about sharing these experiences with their children. As a result, for example, of the slavery laws and social attitudes held by many Whites, few (if any) written records exist concerning Black ancestry that were written by Blacks in the past. And even if there were, relevance would be somewhat dysfunctional; because not all of us came from the same countries within the African continent or have the same custom. In fact, most of us don't know what part of Africa or Central Asia our people come from.
Most likely, if some of us had any knowledge of our ancestry, it would probably came through eye witness accounts--passed on through generations of conversations (many of an intimate nature); with emotions like anger and fear attached. *Needless to say, there would be great deal of apprehension attached to teaching our children such knowledge—that is, for fear of what Whites might feel, say, or do to us—for speaking about their ill-behavior during the past. And oft-times, it's not the obvious responses you have to worry about—but the subtle ones that might cost you your livelihood. And even though these are strong repercussions against the teaching our children about their people's sojourn, chronology and legacy in America--just look at what the absence of such issues has brought about: a misguided people; steeped in fear, ignorance, and superstition--as their regular way of life. But as strange as that may seem, I can still hear some religious people say, "Trust in the lord, he'll make a way. . ."
Trust me when I say, "It is very bad when someone makes a joke or condescending remark towards you and your people, and you're not conscious enough to tell whether that remark is a joke or not--much less be able to tell the difference between the remark he made and the truth." How foolish it is to have a Black child looking at a message intended to teach White children of their ingenuity and superiority—and have that Black child misconstrue the ordeal, displaying distraught feelings over a White man's perils (for being an uninvited guest in the native's domain), while having open disdain for the natives (for protecting their own domain)—instead of seeing the White man as the cause of his own peril! Travesty indeed! Particularly when you consider, the natives depicted come from the same place that the child originated from!
During the 50's and 60's, there were very little Black images for Black children on the TV screen (other than the buffoonery the industry chose to show us); and many of those images were very condescending: Amos and Andy, Step-and-Fetch it, Butterfly McQueen, and Hattie McDaniel. Mammies, and bucks, and coons--Oh my!
During such times, it wasn't difficult to find a Black actor in an American film, playing the role of a villain—whether that villain was a pick-pocket, dope-peddler, murderer or any other distasteful element to put into the American people's psyche. One could question why Black actors would join in on such a negative stereotype, but the response would probably be—if he or she were not making these movies, they’d hardly be working at all! Right here, I would like to acknowledge actress, Cicely Tyson, as one such performer to refused to do so.
As a matter of fact, in America, this practice was done with such frequency that an outside observer might believe behavior like this might be the only element that exists within the Black community. I know the single most reason cited for why more stores are not built within predominately Black communities in Philadelphia is concerns about theft. Now tell me that there isn’t a correlation. . . Just take a look at all the racial memorabilia that exists within America: lopsided imagery intended to uplift one stock of people (American Whites) by jeering and putting down the other group (Blacks). Adding insult to injury, some Whites try to pretend that bigotry in America is just not true, things aren't that bad; they're getting better all the time! Circumstance and the victims are the only ones qualified to make such statements: Not members of the race who perpetrated such acts. . .
As I intimated in the preceding article, It is this type of stigmatized stereotypical imagery that many wealthy and bourgeois Blacks are trying to distance themselves from, when they disassociate from the poor and working class Blacks who live in America. Many times, the Black affluent refer to themselves as Brown (as opposed to Black); essentially re-packaging themselves as someone else to make themselves more palatable to mainstream of American society. But this type of behavior (on the part of wealthy and bourgeois Blacks) is like "siding with the enemy" in blaming the victims for being victimized'—rather than taking steps to counteract such travesties.
Once again we find ourselves reacting, as opposed to acting for the benefit of us as a people, to the distortions and over dramatization of the facts; perpetrated by people who have a low opinion of Blacks to begin with. Not to mention that we are being judged by some of the same people who creating the conditions! Our problem is, some of us will only believe what they tell us. . .
Now I know, it would be preposterous for me to say that stereotypes have no basis in the truth—on the contrary—they often do; but the portrayal of such images is clearly disproportionate to the facts; often bordering on bigotry and racism as prime motivations; especially if these are the only types of ethnic depictions these image makers produce, like Norman Lear.
Little do we realize, that these tainted ideas are just some of the few of the so-called "side-effects," of living in an environment that was made for other people who do not think highly of you to begin with—propagating the seeds for further hate on the part of others of their kind.
These are the ones who are creating these types of stories: In the case of the Tarzan movies, the film maker and its producers simply didn’t have an interest in how our people might view his depiction, nor expressed it as their major concern. Only the author's ideas and his beliefs—as well as those who hold similar views to him—mattered to him specifically.
In their hearts—every race, nation, or group of people believes that they're the best—but broadcasting it or saying that to the rest of the world, might cause stink: Let’s face it, “Nobody considers the second-best team's feelings when they celebrate winning the championship [although acting smug and superior on the part of the victors isn’t a good sign of citizenship or sportsmanship]."
Similarly, in America—there isn't a sense racial equality permeating from the country—just one dominant culture and a bunch of subservient sub-cultures trying to fit in and gain favor from the title. And as being a member of one of its disenfranchised sub-cultures, my people have received such a strong dosage of this tainted perspective, until some of us have transformed into these stereotypes—absorbing their reeducation propaganda as though they were facts—making themselves into the perpetrator's direct object and thus hating our own; based upon the image, ideology and conditions that slavery and its subsequent message of inferiority gave to the majority of Americans concering us. But that hatred is misguided; it was not aimed at the social conditions, nor a drive bent upon improving our stakes—this hatred was aimed directly at our own people for being in this mess—which does nothing towards the improvement of our condition. And we definitely have something to prove to ourselves as a people. . . These images should not define us, we should define them!
Interestingly enough, I've often found, when somebody does you wrong, and you protest against the act—the perpetrator often has the tendency to get angry at you for exposing it. Which means, just because I expose inequality, racism, and bigotry--that doesn't make me any of those things. It's to make the way plain. Either you are part of the solution or you're part of the problem. The most pathetic thing is ambivalence or blaming yourself for being a mark or patsy. There's a difference between doing what it takes in order to survive and making sure that you won't ever have to rely on others again.
For example; There's a distinct difference between the Hip Hop that's being sold out of the trunks of cars, and the Hip-Hop that's produced under major labels. There's also a major difference between the "Hip-Hop sold during the 80's and 90's (dubbed the Knowledge Rap Era)," and the "Hip-Hop which came before or afterwards." One was produced by the Black and Hispanic sub-culture who live in American society, and the other is produced by major industry after the original stir was created. The major industries offered more of an allure, more earning potential--but proverbial wisdom says, "If you dance to the music, you have to pay to the piper." After Jackie Robinson joined the MLB, the Negro League (our own institution) folded. Increases in employment for the poor--by big business industrial tycoons--greatly effected our fight for civil rights. That is, while the industry paid the artists substantially bigger salaries and offered bigger opportunities to go platinum--they were also directly and indirectly dictating Hip-hop's values and cultural content; through the signing of certain groups and decisions of what "items go better on the music menu and which items will sell better in the open market."
I had no knowledge of the subtle ways the director depicted the natives in the Tarzan movie; but I did see how that attitude demonstrates how so many Whites Americans feel about my people. There had been a lot done to dehumanize the native Americans and Black people by the colonists, in order to have their way; but we allowed it. We allowed it simply because we did not continue to reject their values and define things our own way. An image can't stick, if you don't resemble it in any way or don't pay a part in their game.
No one put a gun to our heads and made us watch those Norman Lear's stereotypical sitcoms: Good Times, The Jeffersons, All In The Family, Sanford & Sons, Maude. We watched them because they featured actors that were both charming and infectious, with comedy routines that made them famous; like Mom's Mabley and Red Foxx. So when America gave us the Blaxploitation films, we by-passed acknowledging the negative connotations, for the idea of being able to see so many Black people on television for the first-time on American TV. Before this, there was no Steve Urkel—only Leave-It-Beaver and My Three Sons. We just weren't that savvy or hip to the "Laugh Now/Pay Later" program. It may have been better to just keep buying Hip-Hop out of the trunks of cars, than to buy cassettes and CDs from the outlets and keep mainstream America sponsoring our shows.
On a more insidious level, we were watching messages intended for mainstream America, but including ourselves as part of that equation: Similar to how I used to watch our local news channels and become surprise when more than half of the broadcast would cover the New Jersey area. My idea was the messages covered was for my hometown, whereas the station owner's idea was to cover all of the Tri-state area--that was two separate agendas but my interests suffered because of it. Malcolm (Malik Al Hajj Shabazz) once said of this, "Well, I am one who doesn't believe in deluding myself. I'm not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn't make you a diner, unless you eat some of what's on that plate. Being here in America doesn't make you an American. Being born here in America doesn't make you an American. Why, if birth made you American, you wouldn't need any legislation; you wouldn't need any amendments to the Constitution; you wouldn't be faced with civil-rights filibustering in Washington, D.C., right now. They don't have to pass civil-rights legislation to make a Polack an American" (see other quotes).
Our difficulty is that we keep including ourselves in things that we really aren't a part of; accepting opinions concerning us by those who didn't think highly of us to begin with. Relying on another group of people to safeguard our interests, instead of taking care of our destiny ourselves; while we set our own standards according to their criteria. My parents said to me, "You cannot continue to live under another man's standards—soon, you must leave the nest and put your theories to the test--to find out the truth for yourself. We keep trying to get Whites in this culture to evolve and then get angry when things don't go as we planned. . .
Let me reiterate: Just because I talk about racial problems in America, that does not make me a Racist! Just because I bring up our difficulties as a people—that does not make me a hater. I am advocating social justice here. I am advocating auto-determination and self-development here, but I am not the first, nor shall I be the last! Our past will define us, if we do not define its underlining significance as to where we are headed. . .
Life doesn't just happen, it happens to signal us; to tell us something to do. Life is about power and refinement. It is about defining who you are—relative to what just happened. Life says to you:
"Yo homie, is that the way you feel about this? Well, let me show you something. . .
Alright, is that the way you thought it should happen? Of course not! I thought not, but that's where that thinking you're doing will get you. Yeah, that's where that type of thinking will end up at—Actual fact! Did I hear you say that you don't like it? I didn't think you would. . . But there it is, in black and white—written for your eyes to see. But don't take my words for it—check it out for yourself; its' Fulfilling-ness' Final Finale! (check out the two spots)." But don't get it twisted, you still have a choice! All of us have choices—but we can be very opinionated about our ideas—as though they were Facts:
As Life, however, I am here to show you here to show you where these highways (called ideas) lead to; You don't have to stay where they put you, and you don't have to stick to them: Believe you—me, there's still time to change the roads you're on.
We all have infinite potential—but only if we learn to face the facts. If it's not right and exact, then it should be redefined—and if you don't like the effects, then don't produce the thoughts (and actions) that caused it—simple as that.
Now that's proper thought projection, consideration and self analysis—however, in America, when America talks—most Americans and their subjects listen. The problem is, when America speaks, it doesn't have to be true—and that has been the Blackman's hang-up in America: He doesn’t seem to know when to do what; he seems to be responding instead of defining. And to boot, his actions are always under the society's scrutiny! He can't conquer America's demons; He has had periods where he resigned himself to what has been said about him in media and in the press—and many parts of America's media (as a result of their seances) downs and clowns him every chance she gets. America's like a discontented housewife who claims all her children's glory, then downs its sub-cultures for their individual weaknesses and shortcomings—when in reality, all that is good and most that is bad can be traced back to the culture that produced it.
But Blacks are not American colonists and most Blacks here in America are not immigrants. Most Blacks in America are a product of a kidnapping which occurred a long time ago; like the trucks of Chinese and Mexican flesh peddlers they show in some of these American film companies today. Neither slave traders had the right to peddle our flesh; but we are here as a result of their transgressions. She (America) transgresses, yet treats us like the bastard son. America kept us to the outside and we kept trying to be accepted. In the past, our people rejected this definition and fought for equality—yet most youth today behave as if they belong to a stable government who will protect their best interests.
This is very dangerous position for young Blacks to be in; because it refers to a trust in American culture and society that Blacks prior to current day never truly had—nor should we ever have today. Every time America tried to define us, it has been not as desirable, negative, or our own fault. It has superimposed a standard of beauty, based upon European standards, and many of us have been straightening, jeri-curling, and squeezing into things; trying to fit into something that just isn't us. American standards of beauty—has nothing to do with us--and that's all right, because it implies: "America was made for the European expansionists and colonists." We are the ones who keep confusing things; thinking that we are "free and accepted," when we are just being humored.
Most elders do not talk about the way Whites once treated us in the past (1863-1963) and youngsters today really don't know much about Segregation and the Civil Rights struggles—because the majority of Blacks would rather forget about the past treatment or so-called "race" relations; because religious Blacks believe we must have sinned terribly to deserve such a faith—and are praying the punishment is over. Like the curse that Noah put upon his son, some of us run from that memory and tolerate unjust behavior from American society—hoping in time, we shall escape the wrath for the sin.
It seemed as though the consistent projection of negativity and inferiority emanating from mainstream America into the Black communities is finally altering our personalities. WE (as a people) began to make excuses for their ill-behavior and THEY began to tell us we deserved it as well—and some us believed it—like some abused children believe that their parents hurt them severely because they are just that bad.
Whatever the case may be, plenty of us began to hate ourselves; forming low opinions of each other. Many of us don't believe in our abilities to get it together, period. Some Blacks cursed the poverty that some of us live under—blaming the ones who haven't gotten out of the ghetto for lack of incentive—when it is a vicious unjust society that put them there to begin with (because we have not been repatriated).
During Reconstruction (1865) Blacks had no problem knowing the distinction of being Black or White in America, because the two were separate. This is the meaning of the Segregation era. Blacks had their own facilities and Whites had theirs. It came about as a result of Reconstruction. Reconstruction is otherwise known as Radical Reconstruction or the first "Civil Rights Struggle of 1875" for Black people to obtain any human rights in America. We formed our own, simply because many Whites did not want to fraternize with the newly freed slave or do anything to help him establish himself after slavery. The Republican party [of that time] helped us to establish ourselves in politics, much to the chagrin of the defeated South. Our self-esteem, as group of people was tattered—but we did what we had to do in order to survive—mainly depending on no one else.
Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Putting ourselves back on our feet, was a daunting task—but it was full of opportunity for those thus inclined. That is not to say that there was no help by Whites to help Blacks establish themselves (out of the kindness of their hearts), but the general consensus was a bleak forecast, so we buttoned up our overcoats. Back then, the climate of America taught us to rely mainly upon our own resources, as a people. Need I go back over Black Wall Street, or the Negro League, Afro-Sheen products—in order to remind you of some of the great things Blacks right over here in America were able to achieve when we were our only choice? The task at hand was great (making something out of nothing), but our focus and determination was greater. We had our own Black lawyers [along with the opportunistic Jewish lawyers of the NAACP] fighting our legal battles of citizen rights as we moved towards the second Civil Rights movement—but I am getting ahead of myself. . .
The Harlem Renaissance is one of our people's earliest attempts to redefine ourselves beyond how America defined us. Prior to this, we defined ourselves according to the culture of those who exploited us. We had little choice because we had little voice in his government. Laws like the Jim Crow laws and a White dominated society that did not think highly of Blacks were in full force then. But we began to form our own newspapers and magazines, and create our own businesses. Marcus Garvey and Elijah Muhammad began to make their presence known. Our values of beauty, government, outlook on life began to be circulated around our own communities. Professional business men, doctors, lawyers, inventors reasserted themselves onto the scene, offering needed services to the community—while taking on the task of establishing us and redefining us as a people. We were starting to stand on our own two.
This was being down in the midst of lynchings, Jim Crow, KKK and others—attempting to push us back into the captivity/ownership days! Blacks were getting tired of it, but racist factors dominated the scene from 1863—1965. Yet you have to dig real deep to find evidence of this. You were never taught about this in your regular course curriculum in school. Why? Simply because it is not of major interest to the mainstream of American society!
With so many dissident feelings starting to develop, Blacks continued had to organize. During the Segregation era, Blacks relied heavily upon each other to overcome the oppression by American society. Individuals often were lynched by angry mobs of White bigots during these times.
Elijah Muhammad was silently teaching, but the spirit of freedom, justice and equality for Blacks in America was already in the air! Things were coming to a head as the 1960s rolled around, but the purpose got diluted!
It has been more than four hundred fifty-nine years since that eventful day. After being manservants and woman-servants for several hundred years—there's bound to be some dysfunction. Most Blacks never lived anywhere else, worked but never got paid—and owned nothing. Now that's really starting from the bottom! It would have been different, if there were some civilization classes—but the social environment was quite hostile. We could mention the abolitionist movement, but this movement only represented 5% of the total White population—the majority of Whites remaining were really not in favor of Blacks being free; In fact many felt cheated and wanted to revert back to the way conditions were during slavery; where Whites were all powerful, fully supported by government, and Blacks cowered and cringed before them.
This was the same society and same government that we later sacrificed all we had, to integrate with and become part of—because America promised to do things differently [the natives also received promises]. . .
Attempts were made to establish ourselves, after support was not forthcoming, but anyone could see that the results were disproportionate. This is why it incensed our people, when the advocates of segregation after the Civil war labeled the two separate societies; "Separate but equal." Even though the term referred to a Supreme Court ruling in 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson, wherein it was ruled, "Racially separate facilities, if equal, did not violate the Constitution"—Blacks knew—given their resources versus what Whites had and how they felt about providing facilities for Blacks, it would never be equal; though they knew they would be taxed the same by the American government.
Many thought, "How could The Almighty [as we were taught to pray in slavery] allow us to be treated this way for so long? Maybe we did something wrong and God is punishing us!" Not once, did they consider the nature of the people they were bargaining with. . .
Anyway, those zealots among us became highly critical of our actions as a people—finding faults with our early attempts at reconstruction. You can find some of the descendants of these same elements, today, within the Black community; holding negative ideas towards our own people—blaming our own people for our social status in America!
Jim Crow was an expression used to describe laws and customs in America, limiting the freedom and opportunities to Blacks in America. They were exclusively aimed at restricting social contact between Whites and Blacks and any opportunities that may arise from such contact. The line was drawn. If you were White and you fraternized or assisted blacks during this time period, you were called a, "N-word lover," and you're breaking the law.
So, as a people, we separate from the dominant culture—even developed our own customs and semblance of culture—even paid unequal taxes, but we were not treated as Americans; and this was the basis for the second Civil Rights movement. This is where the purpose got diluted.
We fought against Discrimination. We fought for Desegregation in pubic places. We fought for Desegregation in education. We had our own schools. We had our own colleges. We had our own entertainment. We had our own businesses. We had our own sports. We had our own lawyers petitioning for our rights (with a devotion to our cause unparalleled to this day). Should we, at the time, pushed for the recognition of sovereignty from the American government instead of integration—if we had pushed for human rights instead of civil rights; we would have been established as first class citizens within our own domain or our rights would have been argued, granted, and recognized, while living within our own domain separate from theirs. Maybe not as advanced as White society during that time [Jim Crow Era], but once we settled down with the idea, who knows what we could have achieved in time. . .
But of all of the perspectives shown by Blacks during the Civil Rights struggles in the 1960s, it was the Integrationists that finally won out and America accepted. This group included Martin Luther King and the non-violent groups, Andrew Young, Julian Bond. You still have political prisoners, from the militant groups, in American jails today; as a result of their participation in the Civil Rights struggle. But America played it "politically correct." Open racism was no longer supported by law, but the burden of proof of discrimination lies on the accuser—often to another White person in the role of an official. You have to rely on a separate people's sense of fairness. The Jews have their Jewish Defense League and we have a government appointed EEOC. Their interests, ideas, and society remained in tact—while ours, like the Negro League, became arrested.
Could it be that we went for the Okie-doke, or is it that we only started to build society during the Segregation area because we had no other choice? Has our self-hate and disbelief in each other, risen to the degree that we would rather trust an outside group of people with a nefarious past, rather than trust in ourselves? Who knows?
I just know, that we gave up more than we gained to integrate with America. I just know, that we put the dominant society in control of our destiny, when we integrated into theirs. Our opportunities largely rely on their social and cultural acceptance—whereas if we chose to evolve our own society its' ways would be the same as ours. We know from experience that politically correct behavior does not signify that you are socially accepted. If we are going to control our own interests, we are going to have to work on our self-hated issues, develop a better sense of family, community and nationalism—and evolve our own businesses for starters. Maybe being a separate entity is too far a reach for you, but you should at least develop a sense of diaspora.
Thank you for your consideration,
C. Be'er la Hai-roi Myers
Enjoy the short.
Minds
Now continuing with customs our families developed based upon individual ancestry, while shying away from the customs you don't like in American society is not auto or self-determination; neither is it nationalism. It's just a form of "grin and bear it"—because it does not prompt social change. Often we feel our situation is different—or we're taking care of it ourselves, in our way—so there's no worries; But while you are making adjustments—you are still suffering in fear because the approach too personal. There's only but so much you can do as an individual, you know. . . And while you think you're handling the situation, the reality is you've let that situation define you! Your behavior is not auto-determination, self determination or nationalism; it's isolationism.
A nationalist is a person who loves the group of people he or she comes from. A nationalist has a non-compromising belief in his people. A nationalist is a community oriented, socially conscious person. Nationalism is a group reality held by every individual who belongs to that group. Nationalism is a belief in one's people, in a way in which one would believe in oneself. Nothing is impossible for a person who believes in himself--and nothing is impossible for a people who believe in nationalism. This is a very important point to grasp—particularly since today, there's not a whole lot of love out there for, or between our people. Nationalism is the antithesis to rugged individualism--which is something America is famous for (they like to call it freedom). Auto-determination is called, Kujichagulia, in Swahili; one of the seven principles of the Nguzo Saba, the conceptualization part of the Kwanzaa celebration. As stated somewhat below, Kujichagulia means, "To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves, instead of being defined by others." This means to think as a people, look out for each other as a group, protect our own interests, and plan for a future as a Nation.
"To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves, instead of being defined by others."
A nationalist is a person who loves the group of people he or she comes from. A nationalist has a non-compromising belief in his people. A nationalist is a community oriented, socially conscious person. Nationalism is a group reality held by every individual who belongs to that group. Nationalism is a belief in one's people, in a way in which one would believe in oneself. Nothing is impossible for a person who believes in himself--and nothing is impossible for a people who believe in nationalism. This is a very important point to grasp—particularly since today, there's not a whole lot of love out there for, or between our people. Nationalism is the antithesis to rugged individualism--which is something America is famous for (they like to call it freedom). Auto-determination is called, Kujichagulia, in Swahili; one of the seven principles of the Nguzo Saba, the conceptualization part of the Kwanzaa celebration. As stated somewhat below, Kujichagulia means, "To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves, instead of being defined by others." This means to think as a people, look out for each other as a group, protect our own interests, and plan for a future as a Nation.
Many times, you might believe that you are the only one who's being intimidated by a bully; but once you begin to talk—you'll see that there were others out there—just like you; going through the same situations. It maybe even by the same bully! Once that happens, you'll realize that you are not alone; In fact, there's a whole lot of people out there, just like you. And once everyone decides to have a real heart to heart, that discussion might be just the thing to spark-up your resolve; help build up your confidence to redefine yourselves and your position—help you strategize, organize, and find some solutions.
One of the single most problems facing the Black community today in America is the so-called communication media called the internet, cell and smartphones, video games, cable and satellite TV. It has done more to make us become individualistic, isolationistic, and practice bigotry—like so many Whites have been for decades; especially when it comes down to our youth. This idea of communication leads to the notion that as long as you're satisfied, you don't need anyone else—particularly since it has allowed you to be able to shop and buy stocks without ever leaving your home!
The idea of eating wrong foods because your forefathers ate those same things (like soul food), without you questioning it, is also an example of following customs based upon ancestry while shying away from the diet options in America--but it does not offer much growth and development--a key factor of auto-determination and national pride.
The slavery experience--an institution perpetrated upon us by so many of the American colonists; spearheaded by many of the Angeln and Saxony people (tribes of Germany which conquered Britain) [keep in mind Angeland wanted to make America a British colony]. These Anglo-Saxon traders kidnapped numerous central Asians or African people from various tribes of within that area, for the purpose of servitude to their people; subjugating our people to a system which transformed our various world views, and in effect created a people without cultural identity.
The slave trade systematically separated central Asian tribes from each other before bringing them to America and obliterated family ties in the process; so that the only accurate recollection in which the majority of Black families could make concerning their homeland and heritage--could only be traced back to that event and institution in which the English started--which is slavery. The only real cultural traits we consistently witness during that time, belong to the people we were subject to; otherwise there was no cultural input! In effect, we became fallen Kings and queens without crown or country. Meaning; you might be important, and know that all our tribes we came from were derived from the so-called African part of Asia; you might have even held important positions in those societies--but due to the slavery practices in this country, it became impossible for us to know which particular tribe we came from or which traditions to help us shape and define ourselves. Over here, the colonists viewed us as just chattel property, or slaves; and therefore inferior to them.
The slave trade systematically separated central Asian tribes from each other before bringing them to America and obliterated family ties in the process; so that the only accurate recollection in which the majority of Black families could make concerning their homeland and heritage--could only be traced back to that event and institution in which the English started--which is slavery. The only real cultural traits we consistently witness during that time, belong to the people we were subject to; otherwise there was no cultural input! In effect, we became fallen Kings and queens without crown or country. Meaning; you might be important, and know that all our tribes we came from were derived from the so-called African part of Asia; you might have even held important positions in those societies--but due to the slavery practices in this country, it became impossible for us to know which particular tribe we came from or which traditions to help us shape and define ourselves. Over here, the colonists viewed us as just chattel property, or slaves; and therefore inferior to them.
There have been many cases where various peoples, living in different lands, found themselves under bondage for more than one or two generations, and have won their independence. In some cases, it may have been several hundred years or more. As well, there's been several cases where invaders have come into various lands and have subdued that population under their ways, ruled over them for several hundred years and—once again, the conquered people have rose up, won their independence; reestablishing their cultural prominence.
England's history is no more than a series of hostile takeovers by outside European peoples; starting with the early viking raids and subsequent settlements, then there's Emperor Claudius and Roman conquests—the Teutonic occupiers from Jutland and the Germanic Angles and Saxony tribes—culminating into the Norman invasion by William, The Conquerer, and the Battle of Hastings in 1066; Not to mention the wars of unification, ushered in by Edward I against Wales, Scotland—and other indigenous members of the British Isles. Throughout these assaults, the Britons have been able to bounce back and reinsert their liberty. Even the native Americans have been subjugated and maintained more than a modicum of their cultural aspects and interests afterwards. In fact, there has been many subjugated people on this planet who eventually regained their independence and reestablished themselves as a separate people. Why haven't we done the same? What about us?
For starters, with Blacks living in America, there is quite a lot of disassociation. For some of us, the root of the disassociation has come about from simply convincing yourself that this isn't happening. Not that anyone in America can or will pretend that slavery didn't happen—but in reference to the ones who are descendants of those who were enslaved, the disassociation may manifest as having an aversion to learning anything about the subject. This phenomena is similar to watching the Tarzan movies, wherein the so-called Africans are depicted as uncivilized ignorant, animalistic creatures; grunting utterances with bones piercing through their noses! Once our people saw this—many of us did not want to be identified with such a negative stereotype and began to disassociate ourselves with the natives—and more with the depicted hero. However, instead of seeing this image as just the author's view on Africans--some of us saw it as the truth about our past. We didn't take the abundance of such films, as an indication of how White people in America preferred looking at it—we took it as an eyewitness account as to how things really are. The truth is; It is just an image and that image—and like beauty—it happens to be in the eye of the beholder. But subliminally, we forgot we were watching a film based upon another man's view of the world—instead, we took it to be The Gospel! We forgot the film was made for someone else! It is simply a perception that another group has concerning us, and that is all that it is; but since it reflects the views that many of the class of people which rule this country has—it is a perception which is detrimental to our placement within the rest of American society.
The movie, its characterizations and its depictions of reality, are based upon the way a majority of Americans see things. This only makes sense, because the movie was made for the New Americans. It was made to strengthen their views—not far from movies made build character and raise up their self-esteem. The Tarzan image says, "I'm so smart and resourceful—stripped down to my bear essentials, I'm still smart enough to rise above complete savagery." The movie Tarzan, was made to depict his native antagonists as wild, savage and mortal enemies—much like those in World War I propaganda posters. Black children born in the "1960s to early 1970s" never viewed themselves as outsiders—they may have saw that their world was a little different from the White world—but generally they thought like most other children thought: "This land was made for you and me!" When we pledged allegiance to the flag, we included ourselves in as Americans! The problem is, White America has a different view of the Blackman's place in the sun. The problem is, this pledge of allegiance doesn't work both ways. The problem was, and is, we are watching their movies about us; demoralizing us—depicting us as their enemies and people who can't be trusted—when in reality many of us seek gainful employment from them and thoughts like that affect their chances!
When I as young, I used to watch Tarzan on American TV; with Tarzan being depicted as the hero (a White man raised as a primate--yet smarter than all the tribes in so-called Africa). I watched this program as a child, totally unaware of the predicament my people around the world were in; I knew relatively little about my people's past in America (or any place where my people had come in contact with the European for that matter). I was never taught about so-called race relations as a child. Therefore, I was confused about the paradigm I was seeing; I was identifying more and more with Tarzan and his side-kick Boy as I watched; hoping--each week--Tarzan would resolve his dilemma and come out all right, or crazier still, victorious over the natives! This scenario is similar to the influx of White teachers in Black communities, who educate us in preparation for living in American society--yet they did not live in, nor had any part in the politics of the communities in which we live; much like the rich US senators who are responsible for constructing the various medicare packages, which they themselves will never use (because their package will be far more superior). This is truly and literally, "A Tale of Two Cities."
There are a few things wrong with the above perspective, on the part of our people: Number one, I should have known about the chronology of my people before I became a man—i.e., our legacy, our heritage, and our past; for without that knowledge, my relationship to everything around me is falsely assessed and compromised. The proper relationships between who my people are, and/or their relationship with those who brought them here, could never be fully established, without the truth of what happened. I was certainly taught the dangers of behaving certain ways around White folks--for fear of repercussions. . . Now I could dearly appreciate that in the past there were perils associated with teaching such knowledge*—both on the part of those who shared it, and possible adversed reactions on the part of those who received it; however, for something so important as The Truth, ingenuity deems that where there's a will, there's a way.
Those of us ill-fated, were considered by these colonial land stealing Europeans, as property; menial servants or slaves--to be utilized in every possible way: similar to how a pig in America is consumed; right down to the bones as gelatin! We were also considered as sub-human—we had no rights equal to Whites; not even our basic human rights. Even our children were their possessions—to be dispensed for trade as one would trade a liter of kittens or puppies--even-though, in Western history, they have treated the animals better!
Under slavery statutes in America, it was illegal for slaves to read or write, have any rights, or own any property. Yes, slavery was institutionalized in America! Under American laws, if a slave master killed his slave while administering chastisement—no legal action would be taken (since a slave is considered his master's property/to be used according to his prerogative). This basically means, a White man could have taken a Black man's life—simply because he was feeling that way--and relatively nothing would be done about it. This is the epitome of what it means to be subjugated. And in a land where money means everything today—you can be right and treated as though you are wrong—if your cash flow is not strong (and sometimes not even then/when you consider). Mike Tyson vs. Desiree Washington (i.e., here's two stories to review).
This put extreme pressure on us, as a people to survive. Our existence as individual tribes and countries had been compromised; as the slave regulatory laws, Cecil Rhodes, and Britain redefined the constituency of tribal peoples in Africa, Britain, the Caribbean Islands, and the United States. Make no mistake—we are like kings and queens without a country—in America. Over, here we are under their cultural and traditional regulation, because they founded American society. The complexion of White society's behavior towards Blacks in America is greatly influenced by the institution of slavery in the United States. The idea that America was established to be a colony of Europe dictates what the cultural matrix will be for the country. *The birth of the Klu Klux Klan, Jim Crow Laws, bigotry, vigilanteism, and public lynchings of rural and urban blacks until the late 1950s--are examples of such attitudes developed by the White community and perpetrated upon the Black community in America—as a result of the psychological and sociological effects of institutionalized slavery, right here in the United States!
*One can easily see how these types of elements could serve to function as intimidation factors towards Blacks in this country—and why some who might have experienced such things would be apprehensive about sharing these experiences with their children. As a result, for example, of the slavery laws and social attitudes held by many Whites, few (if any) written records exist concerning Black ancestry that were written by Blacks in the past. And even if there were, relevance would be somewhat dysfunctional; because not all of us came from the same countries within the African continent or have the same custom. In fact, most of us don't know what part of Africa or Central Asia our people come from.
During the 50's and 60's, there were very little Black images for Black children on the TV screen (other than the buffoonery the industry chose to show us); and many of those images were very condescending: Amos and Andy, Step-and-Fetch it, Butterfly McQueen, and Hattie McDaniel. Mammies, and bucks, and coons--Oh my!
During such times, it wasn't difficult to find a Black actor in an American film, playing the role of a villain—whether that villain was a pick-pocket, dope-peddler, murderer or any other distasteful element to put into the American people's psyche. One could question why Black actors would join in on such a negative stereotype, but the response would probably be—if he or she were not making these movies, they’d hardly be working at all! Right here, I would like to acknowledge actress, Cicely Tyson, as one such performer to refused to do so.
As a matter of fact, in America, this practice was done with such frequency that an outside observer might believe behavior like this might be the only element that exists within the Black community. I know the single most reason cited for why more stores are not built within predominately Black communities in Philadelphia is concerns about theft. Now tell me that there isn’t a correlation. . . Just take a look at all the racial memorabilia that exists within America: lopsided imagery intended to uplift one stock of people (American Whites) by jeering and putting down the other group (Blacks). Adding insult to injury, some Whites try to pretend that bigotry in America is just not true, things aren't that bad; they're getting better all the time! Circumstance and the victims are the only ones qualified to make such statements: Not members of the race who perpetrated such acts. . .
As I intimated in the preceding article, It is this type of stigmatized stereotypical imagery that many wealthy and bourgeois Blacks are trying to distance themselves from, when they disassociate from the poor and working class Blacks who live in America. Many times, the Black affluent refer to themselves as Brown (as opposed to Black); essentially re-packaging themselves as someone else to make themselves more palatable to mainstream of American society. But this type of behavior (on the part of wealthy and bourgeois Blacks) is like "siding with the enemy" in blaming the victims for being victimized'—rather than taking steps to counteract such travesties.
Once again we find ourselves reacting, as opposed to acting for the benefit of us as a people, to the distortions and over dramatization of the facts; perpetrated by people who have a low opinion of Blacks to begin with. Not to mention that we are being judged by some of the same people who creating the conditions! Our problem is, some of us will only believe what they tell us. . .
Now I know, it would be preposterous for me to say that stereotypes have no basis in the truth—on the contrary—they often do; but the portrayal of such images is clearly disproportionate to the facts; often bordering on bigotry and racism as prime motivations; especially if these are the only types of ethnic depictions these image makers produce, like Norman Lear.
Little do we realize, that these tainted ideas are just some of the few of the so-called "side-effects," of living in an environment that was made for other people who do not think highly of you to begin with—propagating the seeds for further hate on the part of others of their kind.
These are the ones who are creating these types of stories: In the case of the Tarzan movies, the film maker and its producers simply didn’t have an interest in how our people might view his depiction, nor expressed it as their major concern. Only the author's ideas and his beliefs—as well as those who hold similar views to him—mattered to him specifically.
In their hearts—every race, nation, or group of people believes that they're the best—but broadcasting it or saying that to the rest of the world, might cause stink: Let’s face it, “Nobody considers the second-best team's feelings when they celebrate winning the championship [although acting smug and superior on the part of the victors isn’t a good sign of citizenship or sportsmanship]."
Similarly, in America—there isn't a sense racial equality permeating from the country—just one dominant culture and a bunch of subservient sub-cultures trying to fit in and gain favor from the title. And as being a member of one of its disenfranchised sub-cultures, my people have received such a strong dosage of this tainted perspective, until some of us have transformed into these stereotypes—absorbing their reeducation propaganda as though they were facts—making themselves into the perpetrator's direct object and thus hating our own; based upon the image, ideology and conditions that slavery and its subsequent message of inferiority gave to the majority of Americans concering us. But that hatred is misguided; it was not aimed at the social conditions, nor a drive bent upon improving our stakes—this hatred was aimed directly at our own people for being in this mess—which does nothing towards the improvement of our condition. And we definitely have something to prove to ourselves as a people. . . These images should not define us, we should define them!
Interestingly enough, I've often found, when somebody does you wrong, and you protest against the act—the perpetrator often has the tendency to get angry at you for exposing it. Which means, just because I expose inequality, racism, and bigotry--that doesn't make me any of those things. It's to make the way plain. Either you are part of the solution or you're part of the problem. The most pathetic thing is ambivalence or blaming yourself for being a mark or patsy. There's a difference between doing what it takes in order to survive and making sure that you won't ever have to rely on others again.
For example; There's a distinct difference between the Hip Hop that's being sold out of the trunks of cars, and the Hip-Hop that's produced under major labels. There's also a major difference between the "Hip-Hop sold during the 80's and 90's (dubbed the Knowledge Rap Era)," and the "Hip-Hop which came before or afterwards." One was produced by the Black and Hispanic sub-culture who live in American society, and the other is produced by major industry after the original stir was created. The major industries offered more of an allure, more earning potential--but proverbial wisdom says, "If you dance to the music, you have to pay to the piper." After Jackie Robinson joined the MLB, the Negro League (our own institution) folded. Increases in employment for the poor--by big business industrial tycoons--greatly effected our fight for civil rights. That is, while the industry paid the artists substantially bigger salaries and offered bigger opportunities to go platinum--they were also directly and indirectly dictating Hip-hop's values and cultural content; through the signing of certain groups and decisions of what "items go better on the music menu and which items will sell better in the open market."
I had no knowledge of the subtle ways the director depicted the natives in the Tarzan movie; but I did see how that attitude demonstrates how so many Whites Americans feel about my people. There had been a lot done to dehumanize the native Americans and Black people by the colonists, in order to have their way; but we allowed it. We allowed it simply because we did not continue to reject their values and define things our own way. An image can't stick, if you don't resemble it in any way or don't pay a part in their game.
No one put a gun to our heads and made us watch those Norman Lear's stereotypical sitcoms: Good Times, The Jeffersons, All In The Family, Sanford & Sons, Maude. We watched them because they featured actors that were both charming and infectious, with comedy routines that made them famous; like Mom's Mabley and Red Foxx. So when America gave us the Blaxploitation films, we by-passed acknowledging the negative connotations, for the idea of being able to see so many Black people on television for the first-time on American TV. Before this, there was no Steve Urkel—only Leave-It-Beaver and My Three Sons. We just weren't that savvy or hip to the "Laugh Now/Pay Later" program. It may have been better to just keep buying Hip-Hop out of the trunks of cars, than to buy cassettes and CDs from the outlets and keep mainstream America sponsoring our shows.
Our difficulty is that we keep including ourselves in things that we really aren't a part of; accepting opinions concerning us by those who didn't think highly of us to begin with. Relying on another group of people to safeguard our interests, instead of taking care of our destiny ourselves; while we set our own standards according to their criteria. My parents said to me, "You cannot continue to live under another man's standards—soon, you must leave the nest and put your theories to the test--to find out the truth for yourself. We keep trying to get Whites in this culture to evolve and then get angry when things don't go as we planned. . .
Let me reiterate: Just because I talk about racial problems in America, that does not make me a Racist! Just because I bring up our difficulties as a people—that does not make me a hater. I am advocating social justice here. I am advocating auto-determination and self-development here, but I am not the first, nor shall I be the last! Our past will define us, if we do not define its underlining significance as to where we are headed. . .
Life doesn't just happen, it happens to signal us; to tell us something to do. Life is about power and refinement. It is about defining who you are—relative to what just happened. Life says to you:
"Yo homie, is that the way you feel about this? Well, let me show you something. . .
Alright, is that the way you thought it should happen? Of course not! I thought not, but that's where that thinking you're doing will get you. Yeah, that's where that type of thinking will end up at—Actual fact! Did I hear you say that you don't like it? I didn't think you would. . . But there it is, in black and white—written for your eyes to see. But don't take my words for it—check it out for yourself; its' Fulfilling-ness' Final Finale! (check out the two spots)." But don't get it twisted, you still have a choice! All of us have choices—but we can be very opinionated about our ideas—as though they were Facts:
As Life, however, I am here to show you here to show you where these highways (called ideas) lead to; You don't have to stay where they put you, and you don't have to stick to them: Believe you—me, there's still time to change the roads you're on.
We all have infinite potential—but only if we learn to face the facts. If it's not right and exact, then it should be redefined—and if you don't like the effects, then don't produce the thoughts (and actions) that caused it—simple as that.
Now that's proper thought projection, consideration and self analysis—however, in America, when America talks—most Americans and their subjects listen. The problem is, when America speaks, it doesn't have to be true—and that has been the Blackman's hang-up in America: He doesn’t seem to know when to do what; he seems to be responding instead of defining. And to boot, his actions are always under the society's scrutiny! He can't conquer America's demons; He has had periods where he resigned himself to what has been said about him in media and in the press—and many parts of America's media (as a result of their seances) downs and clowns him every chance she gets. America's like a discontented housewife who claims all her children's glory, then downs its sub-cultures for their individual weaknesses and shortcomings—when in reality, all that is good and most that is bad can be traced back to the culture that produced it.
But Blacks are not American colonists and most Blacks here in America are not immigrants. Most Blacks in America are a product of a kidnapping which occurred a long time ago; like the trucks of Chinese and Mexican flesh peddlers they show in some of these American film companies today. Neither slave traders had the right to peddle our flesh; but we are here as a result of their transgressions. She (America) transgresses, yet treats us like the bastard son. America kept us to the outside and we kept trying to be accepted. In the past, our people rejected this definition and fought for equality—yet most youth today behave as if they belong to a stable government who will protect their best interests.
This is very dangerous position for young Blacks to be in; because it refers to a trust in American culture and society that Blacks prior to current day never truly had—nor should we ever have today. Every time America tried to define us, it has been not as desirable, negative, or our own fault. It has superimposed a standard of beauty, based upon European standards, and many of us have been straightening, jeri-curling, and squeezing into things; trying to fit into something that just isn't us. American standards of beauty—has nothing to do with us--and that's all right, because it implies: "America was made for the European expansionists and colonists." We are the ones who keep confusing things; thinking that we are "free and accepted," when we are just being humored.
Most elders do not talk about the way Whites once treated us in the past (1863-1963) and youngsters today really don't know much about Segregation and the Civil Rights struggles—because the majority of Blacks would rather forget about the past treatment or so-called "race" relations; because religious Blacks believe we must have sinned terribly to deserve such a faith—and are praying the punishment is over. Like the curse that Noah put upon his son, some of us run from that memory and tolerate unjust behavior from American society—hoping in time, we shall escape the wrath for the sin.
It seemed as though the consistent projection of negativity and inferiority emanating from mainstream America into the Black communities is finally altering our personalities. WE (as a people) began to make excuses for their ill-behavior and THEY began to tell us we deserved it as well—and some us believed it—like some abused children believe that their parents hurt them severely because they are just that bad.
Whatever the case may be, plenty of us began to hate ourselves; forming low opinions of each other. Many of us don't believe in our abilities to get it together, period. Some Blacks cursed the poverty that some of us live under—blaming the ones who haven't gotten out of the ghetto for lack of incentive—when it is a vicious unjust society that put them there to begin with (because we have not been repatriated).
During Reconstruction (1865) Blacks had no problem knowing the distinction of being Black or White in America, because the two were separate. This is the meaning of the Segregation era. Blacks had their own facilities and Whites had theirs. It came about as a result of Reconstruction. Reconstruction is otherwise known as Radical Reconstruction or the first "Civil Rights Struggle of 1875" for Black people to obtain any human rights in America. We formed our own, simply because many Whites did not want to fraternize with the newly freed slave or do anything to help him establish himself after slavery. The Republican party [of that time] helped us to establish ourselves in politics, much to the chagrin of the defeated South. Our self-esteem, as group of people was tattered—but we did what we had to do in order to survive—mainly depending on no one else.
Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Putting ourselves back on our feet, was a daunting task—but it was full of opportunity for those thus inclined. That is not to say that there was no help by Whites to help Blacks establish themselves (out of the kindness of their hearts), but the general consensus was a bleak forecast, so we buttoned up our overcoats. Back then, the climate of America taught us to rely mainly upon our own resources, as a people. Need I go back over Black Wall Street, or the Negro League, Afro-Sheen products—in order to remind you of some of the great things Blacks right over here in America were able to achieve when we were our only choice? The task at hand was great (making something out of nothing), but our focus and determination was greater. We had our own Black lawyers [along with the opportunistic Jewish lawyers of the NAACP] fighting our legal battles of citizen rights as we moved towards the second Civil Rights movement—but I am getting ahead of myself. . .
The Harlem Renaissance is one of our people's earliest attempts to redefine ourselves beyond how America defined us. Prior to this, we defined ourselves according to the culture of those who exploited us. We had little choice because we had little voice in his government. Laws like the Jim Crow laws and a White dominated society that did not think highly of Blacks were in full force then. But we began to form our own newspapers and magazines, and create our own businesses. Marcus Garvey and Elijah Muhammad began to make their presence known. Our values of beauty, government, outlook on life began to be circulated around our own communities. Professional business men, doctors, lawyers, inventors reasserted themselves onto the scene, offering needed services to the community—while taking on the task of establishing us and redefining us as a people. We were starting to stand on our own two.
This was being down in the midst of lynchings, Jim Crow, KKK and others—attempting to push us back into the captivity/ownership days! Blacks were getting tired of it, but racist factors dominated the scene from 1863—1965. Yet you have to dig real deep to find evidence of this. You were never taught about this in your regular course curriculum in school. Why? Simply because it is not of major interest to the mainstream of American society!
With so many dissident feelings starting to develop, Blacks continued had to organize. During the Segregation era, Blacks relied heavily upon each other to overcome the oppression by American society. Individuals often were lynched by angry mobs of White bigots during these times.
Elijah Muhammad was silently teaching, but the spirit of freedom, justice and equality for Blacks in America was already in the air! Things were coming to a head as the 1960s rolled around, but the purpose got diluted!
This was the same society and same government that we later sacrificed all we had, to integrate with and become part of—because America promised to do things differently [the natives also received promises]. . .
Attempts were made to establish ourselves, after support was not forthcoming, but anyone could see that the results were disproportionate. This is why it incensed our people, when the advocates of segregation after the Civil war labeled the two separate societies; "Separate but equal." Even though the term referred to a Supreme Court ruling in 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson, wherein it was ruled, "Racially separate facilities, if equal, did not violate the Constitution"—Blacks knew—given their resources versus what Whites had and how they felt about providing facilities for Blacks, it would never be equal; though they knew they would be taxed the same by the American government.
Many thought, "How could The Almighty [as we were taught to pray in slavery] allow us to be treated this way for so long? Maybe we did something wrong and God is punishing us!" Not once, did they consider the nature of the people they were bargaining with. . .
Anyway, those zealots among us became highly critical of our actions as a people—finding faults with our early attempts at reconstruction. You can find some of the descendants of these same elements, today, within the Black community; holding negative ideas towards our own people—blaming our own people for our social status in America!
Jim Crow was an expression used to describe laws and customs in America, limiting the freedom and opportunities to Blacks in America. They were exclusively aimed at restricting social contact between Whites and Blacks and any opportunities that may arise from such contact. The line was drawn. If you were White and you fraternized or assisted blacks during this time period, you were called a, "N-word lover," and you're breaking the law.
So, as a people, we separate from the dominant culture—even developed our own customs and semblance of culture—even paid unequal taxes, but we were not treated as Americans; and this was the basis for the second Civil Rights movement. This is where the purpose got diluted.
We fought against Discrimination. We fought for Desegregation in pubic places. We fought for Desegregation in education. We had our own schools. We had our own colleges. We had our own entertainment. We had our own businesses. We had our own sports. We had our own lawyers petitioning for our rights (with a devotion to our cause unparalleled to this day). Should we, at the time, pushed for the recognition of sovereignty from the American government instead of integration—if we had pushed for human rights instead of civil rights; we would have been established as first class citizens within our own domain or our rights would have been argued, granted, and recognized, while living within our own domain separate from theirs. Maybe not as advanced as White society during that time [Jim Crow Era], but once we settled down with the idea, who knows what we could have achieved in time. . .
But of all of the perspectives shown by Blacks during the Civil Rights struggles in the 1960s, it was the Integrationists that finally won out and America accepted. This group included Martin Luther King and the non-violent groups, Andrew Young, Julian Bond. You still have political prisoners, from the militant groups, in American jails today; as a result of their participation in the Civil Rights struggle. But America played it "politically correct." Open racism was no longer supported by law, but the burden of proof of discrimination lies on the accuser—often to another White person in the role of an official. You have to rely on a separate people's sense of fairness. The Jews have their Jewish Defense League and we have a government appointed EEOC. Their interests, ideas, and society remained in tact—while ours, like the Negro League, became arrested.
Could it be that we went for the Okie-doke, or is it that we only started to build society during the Segregation area because we had no other choice? Has our self-hate and disbelief in each other, risen to the degree that we would rather trust an outside group of people with a nefarious past, rather than trust in ourselves? Who knows?
I just know, that we gave up more than we gained to integrate with America. I just know, that we put the dominant society in control of our destiny, when we integrated into theirs. Our opportunities largely rely on their social and cultural acceptance—whereas if we chose to evolve our own society its' ways would be the same as ours. We know from experience that politically correct behavior does not signify that you are socially accepted. If we are going to control our own interests, we are going to have to work on our self-hated issues, develop a better sense of family, community and nationalism—and evolve our own businesses for starters. Maybe being a separate entity is too far a reach for you, but you should at least develop a sense of diaspora.
Thank you for your consideration,
C. Be'er la Hai-roi Myers
Enjoy the short.
