Quick Thoughts from my ever-churning mind (these thoughts still need to be developed and researched so, please, give me your opinions- and any books that you think might enlighten me)
It seems as though there are so many ppl trying to wipe away the African connection
They no longer want to be thought of as African Americans. They will now be referred to as Black Americans
Distancing themselves from the history and culture that was once theirs. The time when they were more than Black. They were Ethiopian, they were Egyptian, they were Nigerian. The stigmas attached to being a dark-skinned person in America is all that they want us to know. They want us to forget that we were abolitionists before European slavery even came about. Forget the ancient freedoms we've fought for. Forget the empires we've built, the nations we've conquered, and the complex societies we've developed. Forget that there was once a time BEFORE we were slaves for light-skinned people. Make the next generation forget by leaving out the "African" in African-American.
I am called Black, not because Black is all that I am, Black is simply all that you care to see. I am also chocolate and caramel and cherry wood (depending on the season and my recent sun exposure). I am the daughter of a domestic goddess and a hard-working minister. I am a Stephens College graduate. I am a woman who melts into a pool of hormones when i see a man in a well-tailored suit. I know from whom i've come.... Royalty and slave alike.
My people built this nation. From the ground up. The monuments that you attribute to the genius minds of the greatest white architects were constructed by MY slave ancestors, brick by brick, and inspired by the monuments found in MY royal ancestors' homeland. The art, math, and science that is so widely used and admired by the western world originated in Africa (where MOST things originated); so i cannot understand how the western world can demonize and degrade its people while hijacking its culture and accomplishments.
But never mind all that. Ultimately, I want to be seen as a daughter of God. And judged on my accomplishments and character. Not on my skin color, or my ancestry, or my family name. I only point out the accomplishments of African people to show all who believe in white supremacy (both dark and light-skinned people) that such concepts are stupid and can only be sustained in the most unreasonable minds.
