Throughout the country and wherever they may be, the people of the African diaspora tend to face a lot of prejudice from people of different races and cultures. For example, take a look at any movie or television show and watch how the character of the Black race is. Stereotypically they are often displayed as poor, loud, ratchet, junkie, drug-addicts, or live in a broken family. Although there are many amongst the African American community who do live in this way, there are also many who do not. There are those who are well mannered, religious, conscious, and living as a productive member in society. We shouldn’t brand them all the same as they choose to mainly display in the entertainment industry. There are different cultures amongst the people of the African diaspora.
There are the Southern African-Americans who speak with a different accent as opposed to Northern African-American’s. They also have a different way. There are those called pan Africanists who see themselves as part of the conscious Black community who have leaders that they admire such as Marcus Garvey, Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, Khalid Muhammad, the most recent Grandmaster Jay, and many more. They have even been the first people to begin a movement called Black lives Matter. Basically, the African American community is divided into two. The conscious and the unconscious. The group most commonly displayed and thought about in regards to African American’s is the unconscious. As mentioned before they are what most often come to the minds of so many people of different races and cultures. There has to be something understood about these two different groups.
While the unconscious African American’s continue in degrading themselves, the conscious African American community are working hard to restore themselves into who they are supposed to be such as learning where they come from and the ways of their ancestors. They are trying to establish a name for themselves and not be degraded by others. We all need to have a better understanding of the people of the African diaspora, and what got them to where they are today. Throughout the African American communities, names, traditions, clothing, music, art, and food are diverse. Through all this diversity, there is one thing that unifies all Blacks of the diaspora. There is the Pan-African flag which “first flew 100 years ago as a response to a bigoted song. On August 13, 1920, Black nationalist Marcus Garvey and the UNIA designed a horizontal tricolor banner to represent the African diaspora. The red represents the blood shared by the African diaspora, the black represents black people, the green is for the natural wealth of the land of Africa.” The African diaspora to me is very broad with a deep history that has many different points of views.
Thank you, my sister, for this section…I want to say did you know that September 11th is the Ethiopian New Year and I wonder if it has anything to do with the distraction created in the US on the same date? Just like I have thoughts about the Isis Papers by Dr Francis Cress Welsing and the distraction of the organisation with the same name? Coincidences?
When is the Ethiopian New Year?
Ethiopian New Year is September 11th my brother…told the organisers about the site and will also post the event for Sunday 3rd here in African Uplift group and the Village Circle group as well.
Peace be upon you sister Ziah, those are some interesting connections you made there and I also find it interesting that I happened to post this blog on 9/11 without meaning anything by it. But in my opinion regarding your statement about whether the date and writings/events are distractions or coincidences, I don’t think either directly had to do with the other because the Ethiopian new year is a cultural celebration whereas the 9/11 atrocity was supposedly made by a religious attack. I haven’t read about the Isis papers by Dr. Francis Cress Welsing but I want to ask if it was a writing on race or religion? Because both Isis and 9/11 are more of an attack on religion than it is on culture.
Good point you have made there my sister. I guess I have assumed that an attack on religion is an attack on ethnicity and therefore an attack on culture but in the USA it may be different. I do observe that the Isis papers by Dr Francis Cress Welsing is an analysis of what Racism/White Supremacy means but in truth if it was a distraction so we do not read or understand the words of the good psychologist, I have to ask what it would mean if we were to take her words seriously and if it was purely an attack on religion in an African country, does religion differ on the continent where it is intrinsic in the culture of communalism and African identity? Or were the western Governments just after the resources of Nigeria/Africa as usual? Either way I believe the global attack on us as black people is greater than any other attack so therefore we must first represent ourselves as black.When we are oppressed we are not met with questions of religion but we are seen first by the colour of our skin.Would you agree?
I do agree that we are seen first by the color of our skin but religion is free for anyone of any ethnicity and anything that creates unity especially among Blacks is what is under attack.
Absolutely agree there sista and I believe I have kept you and king up ling enough so gonna go.Success! With the technical issue now though finally…thanks to your hubby…you know some would say religion is a divisive tool but I see what yu are saying and I would like to discuss your take on the NOI as o Islam in another conversation.Thank sister for giving me the space. I read a book called Two Thousand Seasons awhile back by Ayei Kwei Armah and I have never forgotten the images it cnjured up as a book about the Arab invasions so we have plenty to talk on. I am open to learning.Goodnight.
Greetings,
I can only hope that once we are as a one people that we all would have to take a class, that would teach disarmament of conflict. Like a ballup fist in the air means unity and thee other person that you are having a disagreement with understands and whom ever see whats going on helps to bring unity to them and settle it. Sing as you walk away, a song of peace, we have been living others way of life for so long that we forgot how to live our own. And all i say, i say in love