My Take on Black Americans & Africans

For some of us black folk, going to Africa better yet returning to Africa is a big deal. It is symbolical of  so many things-our ancestors achievements and struggles, their journey through the MAAFA. Returning home debunks the very idea that we would not return. The Door of No Return at Elmina Castle in Ghana, West Africa is not a door of no return but the very opposite. It is through that door that we symbolically reentered the history of our people. It is through that door that some of us seek to be welcomed home. Now I am not going to say that Black Americans welcome Africans from the continent with open arms and I wont say Black Americans embrace all other Black Americans with open arms either. But what I will say is that I noticed (even in innocent situations) there is always this subconscious attempt to create conflict between Africans on the Continent and Blacks in America. It's like someone is instigating an argument in order to let the African people say something about Black Americans that they (the instigator) wouldn't necessarily say on their own.  And sometimes, I have to check myself because when I feel Africans are being put on a peddle stool, being praised more than Black Americans, I become defensive. Another thing that makes me defensive, is when I hear Africans in the states talk about black people not getting over slavery while they partake in black culture because they identify with us more primarily because we are all now black in America.What provoked this post however, was a statement I heard in an interview. The African student said (roughly paraphrased) "Black people will not let go and move on from slavery''. Another student said "All Black people care about is HIP-HOP".

Now something in my soul said, this is a way to create friction and not actually encourage a healthy dialogue between Black Americans and Africans. I could have easily said "How you gonna say black people wont get over slavery and that all we care about is hip-hop when  you strive to live the life of a Black American every single day. And when some Black Americans tell you that they don't support BET, you say "BET does represent me". I could have said this, but I recognized the situation for what it was.

And I am nowhere near perfect. I still have biases and play into stereotypes. Making generalizations is not going anywhere anytime soon. I won't stand here and say trust every black man, black woman, African man and African woman you see because a reality where everyone looks out for each other is a fantasy, a utopia, a poetic stanza. Before we are black or any other race, we are human. And there are some black people who will take advantage your innocent pursuit of an African identity. Let's keep it real. Black or white, depending on your character, when you see an opportunity to get over, you are going to take it. So, I will not stand here and encourage anyone to be silly headed or blind.

But what I will stand by is the fact that slavery is American History. Period. You cannot talk about America's British roots without acknowledging its black roots too. Every answer you get about economic development/profit or inventions will always or should always include the history of free labor and exploitation of a people's ignorance due to their denial of an education. Now, what makes Slavery African-American history is the perspective given when telling the story. So its not about black people never letting go and getting over slavery, its about those black people trying to keep history and our story in its proper perspective. Yea, I can't feel anything black people felt 300 years ago. I truly cannot relate to being enslaved. I can't even relate to segregation or the racism experienced less than 50 years ago. I can't relate to my grandmother telling me she was called colored and that her mother had to use separate facilities. I cannot relate because it was not my personal experience. But what I can do is honor that experience and take pride in knowing that I come from a people who survived. Because truth be told, unless you are black you will never know the fear that comes with being black. You will never know what its like to wake up, knowing you have brothers, fathers and cousins, wondering if that day would be their last day. Whether they die from black bullets or blue bullets, the fear is the same. We need healing at home before we search for healing abroad. We need healing in Philly before we run to Gaborone. We need healing in Chicago before we go to Accra. We need healing in Wilmington before we go to Johannesburg.

With that said, some Black Americans (myself included) are looking to Africa for the wrong things. We are looking to Africa for validation as if we don't deserve respect simply because we were blacks born in America. Sometimes, we look to Africa for acceptance because we are not accepted at home. Sometimes, we don't accept ourselves. But no matter what, we need healing on our own soil before we return to the Mother Land. I cannot expect Africa to give me something I cannot give myself. And before I look to someone else's direct ancestors in Ghana, Somalia, or where ever, I need to look to my immediate roots. I need to know MY family history. I need to start compiling information from 50 years back before I jump to 300. I need to know who my grandparents were and who their grandparents were and if that leads me to a dead end because of slavery then so be it. But I cannot go to ancestry.com before I go to my aunt Catherine, a woman who is 97 years old. She has 100 years of knowledge that I can tap into. I need to start there first.

So, in trying to shift the perspective and not play into an instigated argument. My black people who say we need to get over slavery, I feel you. Because, correct me if I'm wrong, but what I am hearing you say is that we need to not "get over it" but surpass it. You are saying that we need to shift our focus from the hurt and the blame and the vindication and focus more on the solution. We need to accept that no one is going to change our conditions and no one can change our conditions but us. We need to get over our expectations of other people and get back to family and community. We need to redirect our attention not to the everlasting discussion of slavery and the who did whats but to the action of restoration. And restoring our own lives does not have to be violent or a case of warfare because when we expect violence, that is what we will receive. Just as when you expect failure, you end up failing. And if that is not what you are saying, then you need to explain yourself. But, what I am hearing you say is that we need to get some more faith even when all of our faith has been drained to the bare minimum. We need to get over the hump that is black and get back to being black.

Because, Black is a lower class race created by a superior group of people. Being Black is a beautiful struggle of surviving, restoring, retaining and uplifting the value of our black American culture while embracing the spirit of humanity. And this is what we should strive for.