
Hotep!
As I go through this mental cleansing of my mis-education (thank you for the enlightenment Dr. Carter G. Woodson), I started thinking about the term African. As in an ethnic terminology.
The other week a Black security guard at a bank asked me if I was African and I said no. And that has been bothering my mind ever sense. As I looked at my features in the mirror that evening, I asked myself "Who ever told me that I wasn't African?" So I started asking myself what did it mean to me for a person to be African? I started thinking of my definition of African-"One who is born in Africa." That sounded like a good definition but then I realized it was flawed.
Here's something to think about. A couple from China decides in 1820 to come to the American west to take a chance on making a future here in America. This couple has a baby in 1825 and of course we would say this baby is Chinese. So this baby marries another American born Chinese and so on and so on. Now fast forward to today. Their great-great-great-great grandson is very much American and he would still be considered Chinese. Even though his last direct relative to live in China left China 181 years ago! Yet a great-great-great-great grandchild of a slave from Africa is not considered African but Black. We say nope this person is not African but a Black person. Yet it would sound idiotic to say the Asian descendant is not Chinese but a Yellow person. How ridiculous! Who taught us that? You know the answer to that question. Fortunately, the terms red people and yellow people are not part of every day vocab.
I know that "Black" is a strong identity term for us but let's face some truth. WE did not create that term for ourselves. Not to hurt any feelings but could the term "Black" be part of our mis-education? Just putting some ideas out there to think about. But then I just wondered, what term would we use for members of the African Dispora? I don't know. So for now I guess I still use the term Black....just for now. Got any ideas? Email me.
But back to AFRICAN.
I think that we need to begin to realize that we are African. Sure it may be hard to accept at first. It sounds strange for us to say that about ourselves. Most of us have been programmed not to see our true selves anyway but to see ourselves from a Eurocentric perspective. But I think accepting that we are Africans like a person born and raised in America accepts they are Chinese, German, or Irish. Accepting our African-ness is very important to breaking these mental chains of slavery we tend to function under.
Eonduhstan is an African!!!!!
And I feel good about who I am.
Hambree!

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