I have written that we can love each other the way we love our blackness, but what does that mean? Can we look at the multitude of shades we are and define the way we love each other? Does our blackness come with an instruction book? Does the book tell us we should favor lighter skin, or is dark skin the prize some seek? Does the texture of our hair make us more or less attractive? Which is a multifaceted question with so many people wearing their hair naturally at the moment? Has the natural look leveled the playing field in our quest for beauty? Does size matter in the search for the perfect mate? Are we so superficial that the outer package is more important than the content of a person’s character? Where does our sense of understanding our blackness begin? How is that sense of blackness relayed to our children now, as opposed to 1963? When our black boys leave the house, are we using the same language used in 1950 out of fear that our child might not make it home?
In 1950, we warned our sons not to be disrespectful or do anything that would anger a white person. Today, we are telling our sons not to show any aggression towards law enforcement officers. Make no sudden moves, or they will murder you. The parallel is chilling to the bone. Where can we learn to embrace and believe in our Black heritage? Does teaching our young people about African royalty give them an unrealistic sense of entitlement? Yes, that is a stretch. However, I have heard young brothers and sisters say we used to be kings and queens in Africa. It incites frustration in me because our people are fantasizing about Africa, and we are living poorly in America. Many of our families are living under the poverty line, way below the poverty line! So, how do you tell a child who has not had a meal in three days that his blackness is to be proud of, and make him believe it? If he can read, he reads the stories about the inner cities, the black-on-black crimes that seemingly never stop. T.V. shows the obscure half-truth of our people, and we are told we do not want better. Is there any child of any color who does not need the necessities in life? Why would black children want less? Does he believe his parent (s), or a society that labels him everything dark and wrong? If we tell a child you love them the way you love your blackness, what will his tired and angry eyes reflect when he looks up at you? Will he understand the meaning or the impact of what those words represent? In the inner cities of America, our children are walking around in a butcher shop. There are the kids who make it out academically. Then we have the athletes, and they find their way out. Now we come to the largest group of kids who struggle. These are the kids who live in hopelessness. They are the kids who are slinging drugs to help feed their families, robbing people, and starting a life in and out of jail and prisons. Our young ladies fit into each category, but they are the more significant part of the first group. People do not perceive them as threats, and they have achieved great academic success. On the flip side, there is a systemic process in which society steers our sons away from higher learning. We have fallen short in trying to give each child a chance, not a handout, a chance! I am here chastising myself because I asked questions and I have few answers. I have walked city blocks wondering what my future holds. I have known the fear of being afraid of going home. Knowing that often violence in the house does not show me to love my blackness. Can we teach our children to love their blackness? I welcome answers to these questions or at the very least, comments.