Love: For the Culture

25 Feb Love: For the Culture

Why I Love Being BLACK!

Historically, Black people were taught to hate themselves. In some ways it was very overt and in other ways, self-hatred was covert and presented as microaggressions. We were conditioned to despise our complexion, our physical features, our hair, our passion, and each other. Things are changing and there is no time better than today than to love being Black; for yourself and for the culture.

Here are 6 reasons why being unapologetically Black is lit.

• My Black, your Black is beautiful.

There is diversity in our complexion. From the lightest of tan to the darkest of brown there is beauty in every shade of Black. Picture the comparison of chocolate. Chocolate is decadent, smooth, and rich. Our skin protects us from the sun’s UV rays as we embrace the sun’s glow. Don’t forget to catch the light in your next selfie.

• Don’t Touch My Hair!

Would you ever walk up to a queen and touch her crown? Exactly! Any who, there is so much versatility in our hair. For years, many of us assimilated to what we thought and was taught was more beautiful. We compared our crowns. Today, instead of comparison we are embracing the versatility in the way we style our hair. Today, we celebrate our tresses. Whether our hair is braided, pressed, faded, loc’d up, curly, in an afro or anywhere in between, we are embracing the beauty of our hair. Whose hair can do all that? Now that’s Black Girl Magic.

• Our Presence.

You know the song, “When the Men All Pause” by Klymaxx? (I know, I may be dating myself but, ho cares. sidenote: We age well). That statement doesn’t just apply to the men pausing. When we walk into a room, people know we have arrived. Our presence exudes confidence. People look, admire, and are intrigued. I can’t help but think of Maya Angelou’s poem, Still I Rise, and these words:

“Does my sassiness upset you?

Are you beset with gloom?

‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.”

-Maya Angelou

This is a reminder to own and embrace your greatness.

• DJ turn it up!

Music has always been therapeutic for Black people. When intellects, athletes, chefs, inventors etc. were enslaved via the Transatlantic Slave trade, Black people used music to cope and support the community and their creativity. The tribal sounds of drums and xylophones, step dances and melodies have transcended genres and cultures. From blues to county music, gospel to jazz, hip-hop to opera, pop and R&B, Black people continue to make their mark in music, which I view as a universal language.

Here are a few Black musical icons across the decades of history:

• Blues – B.B. King
• Country – Darius Rucker
• Gospel – Koryn Hawthorne
• Jazz – Billie Holiday
• Hip Hop – Kendrick Lamar
• Opera – Leontyne Price
• R&B – H.E.R.
• Pop – Aaliyah

• Making Our Mark.

Black people have gone to great lengths to contribute to society. Much of what we have the privilege of indulging in or what makes our lives easier can be attributed to a Black person. Let’s get a drum roll for a few of the honorable mentions.

• The improved Ironing Board – Sarah Boone
• 3 Light traffic Light – Garrett Morgan
• Refrigerated Trucks – Frederick McKinley Jones
• Microphones – Co-Invented by James E. West
• Sanitary Belt (Sanitary Napkins) – Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner

It’s important to note that the contributions of Black people expand across multiple disciplines such as aerospace, literature, mathematics, horticulture, engineering, the arts, television, the medical field, and many other professions.

• The Collective

We are family. Much like your nuclear family, you may not always agree and you may not always get along, but you come together when it matters most. This may be hard for people to grasp considering the portrayal of divide amongst Black people or the focus on the negative. If we can just take a moment to shift our focus, here are some major moments in history when we came together. Let’s go!

• The Abolitionist Movement: Hundreds of Abolitionist worked together to fight against slavery and racial discrimination. The collective was able to move the needle forward. Although there were hundreds of Abolitionists, the most mentioned are Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, Nat Turner, Henry “Box” Brown and Sojourner Truth.
• The Civil Rights Movement: This last for decades and we united for movements inside the movement. (i.e., the Montgomery Bus Boycott, protest, the Little Rock Nine, the Greensboro Sit-in, Freedom Rides, The March on Washington etc.)
• The Black Power Movement which was a response to lack of safety and independence in redlined urban communities. In the same era the Black Panther Party was founded.
• The Million Man March comprised of African American men to address issues and concerns in the Black community.
• The Black Lives Matter Movement (Current Day)
• We come together for worship.
• And then there are micro ways in which we come together such as caring for extended family members or the collective that hits the dance floor when the Cha-Cha slide comes on. Lol!

CommUNITY is the fabric of the Black culture. We are a resilient and persistent people. The cards we were dealt as a group were and are shameful and “Still We Rise”. That says a lot. There are so many reasons to be Black & Proud and the #1 reason is that when you love yourself unapologetically you are happier, healthier and you can have a greater impact on the world. We contribute individually and collectively to the Black experience. Fix your crown, hold your head up and be unapologetically, “Black and Proud”!

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