It's Mine Damnit!

Peace Y’all,

I have been feeling some kind of way about this particular issue for some time. I wanted to build on it before the holiday. Because we are going to watch Roots and I always get emotional when I watch Roots and I won’t be able to get back to this topic until sometime in 2013. But American Black people need to be mindful… We aren’t African.

Yes some of us are melanated and appear to match appearances to people on that continent, but we match appearances to people on many continents, including India (the darkest person I have ever seen in my life was an East Indian man wearing a light blue shirt), Australia, South America and some of the Polynesian islands. So why are American Black people so intent on claiming Africa?

I know most of us are descended from African slaves… a fact deal with it… so that means that more than likely our mitochondrial DNA can be matched to West Africa. But West Africa is a big area and we DON’T know exactly where. Most Black families didn’t keep a Kunta Kintae record of their family tree. So there is no way to know where in Africa we specifically descend and that is super important. Because Africans don’t call themselves “African”. They call themselves by the name of their countries and/or tribes. Calling ourselves “African-Americans” is just wrong and more importantly stupid.

Also… the dastardly thing that we seem to forget is many of the ancestors of the Africans that currently live on that continent were complicit in our ancestors being caught by slavers. So…. Technically it is partly their fault that we are citizens of this wilderness. Yet we strive to claim them as long lost cousins? Really? I have legitimate cousins I don’t speak to because they owe me money. I’m supposed to claim these people? I don’t.

I get why we do it. We don’t appear to have a culture outside the devil’s culture. That is 85% true. We have been fully indoctrinated. We celebrate his holidays, his rites of passages; we have adopted his ways and actions and most unfortunately his values. We would be hard pressed to find the delineation line between us. But one does exist. We don’t do things exactly the way the devil does them. We don’t exactly look at the world the same as he does either. There are some differences; and if we could highlight them and truly celebrate them, we could have the distinct culture that our race hungers for.

Culture is defined as the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. (It’s not lost on me that I used the devil’s dictionary to get this definition) That includes shared customs, language, food and a location. There is a lot that Original Black people on this continent can claim as our own. The problem is we have been led to believe that what we do and create for ourselves is somehow inferior to what the devil does for himself. And have actually been made to feel ashamed for wanting to proclaim the components of a separate, independent culture.

We have soul food… Developed because the white man fed us scraps like animals. I’m surprised he didn’t throw it on the ground. But we took it and made it so tasty the devil wants to eat it. But of course he takes credit for it. Do the knowledge, during antebellum times, wealthy landowners... you know the ones who could afford to own slaves… ate European food. That’s their culture. Why would they develop soul food? It’s not logical. But he could smell it coming from the quarters and when he was done raping Sallie Sue, he was probably hungry and sent her to get him some local vittles. That sounds about right. But we have been led to believe that it is unhealthy. And I don’t disagree with that, but European food isn’t any healthier. Think about this… Turducken, Yorkshire pudding and all them French sauces? Come on son. In this age, soul food can be made healthier and I don’t know any Black person, and I know lots of Black people… southern black people at that… who don’t consume soul food daily. So soul food shaming just needs t stop.

Ebonics is hugely been put on blast. So stupid. Most Black folks I know, know that there is a time and place for everything. We don’t speak Ebonically to devils because we know they won’t understand. If we need work, or interact with them we will speak their language. We know how to turn it off and on. We have been living here for 500+ years. We aren’t stupid. Why can’t we have our own language to use when we are in relax mode? Just like Latinos will speak Spanish in the presence of people they think don’t understand for privacy, I like it that we have that Ebonic option. But of course…. The devil tells us there is something shameful and uncivilized about speaking anything other than the ‘King’s English.” Eff em. I love that my beloved Nation has given me the option of “Nation Speak” in addition to Ebonics. Where I can speak to the God or any righteous person in the vicinity and the 85, 10 or devil won’t know what the hell I am saying.

When I got legally married, I included a broom jumping ceremony in with the other festivities. A she-devil and I were building about the ceremony and, of course, she didn’t know what that was. I explained it to her. She caught a pained look on her face. I thought she was passing a kidney stone. And she asked me, “Why would you want to reenact something so painful for your people?” Really? These people reenact civil war battles all the damn time but this expression of love is too painful for my people? That’s them poo pooing on something that specifically and only belongs to us. Something they cannot take part in; therefore we shouldn’t either. Just like use of the N-Word.

I love Hip Hop. Nothing other than the commercialization of the genre would turn me away from it. But I have old school Hip Hop to soothe my soul. I like old jazz, old blues, certain gospel and reggae. You see where I’m going with this? I like the Original music from people on this continent. But… as always. The devil has interloped in the genre and bastardized its expression to a more savage one befitting THEIR perception on what our culture is. But we are still making good music and we have memories of a time when it was pure. Devils can’t have that so they try to sample and/or erase it from memory.

My point is … WE HAVE A VALID CULTURE. We do not need to hearken to a continent of people who don’t claim us or want anything from us except money. Embrace and celebrate that culture that we do have and you will find it most satisfactory. The 7 and I don’t celebrate Xmas, but because everyone else does we have to make adjustments. We spend the day indoors, watching long movies. In 2010 we watched all 6 Star Wars movies. Last year we watched all 4 of the LTRs. This year …. Roots! This is how you build your own authentic culture.


Peace!