So today is the last day of Black History Month and I have had a plethora (I love that word) of things concerning my peeps that I have been wanting to get off of my chest. I guess today is as good a day as any. Here goes . . .
On Black Women Being Single
If I have to see another television special featuring a group of single Black women talking about how Black men have gone extinct, I'm going to kill myself. No, no wait . . . if I have to see a group of Black men talking about how mean and angry all Black women are THEN I'm going to have to kill myself. Guess I'm going to have to kill myself some time this week, because the network I work for will be airing that story in a couple days.
Uplifting the Black Community
The guy that I have been working with (I'll just call him "Mr. Jello PuddingPops" and if you don't know who I'm talking about then kill yourself google it) turned a lot of my people off a couple years ago when he said that the poor folks in the Black community have not been holding up their end of the bargain. The more I work with him and speak to those nearest and dearest to him, the more I have to agree with his message. The other day, I saw a toothless deli worker and a little old man curse each other out at my local grocery store. (She made a mean sandwich, though, let me tell you! Mmmm :-) On that very same day, I'd been informed that my 13 year old niece beat up a classmate and then began to assault her own teacher - who is now pressing charges. And on top of all this, at this very second I am watching a news story about the second child this week to be abandoned somewhere (not counting, of course, the infant that was tossed over a bridge a couple days ago). All of the people that I have mentioned have something in common. They are all Black folks and they are all in the poor community.
As someone who grew up in the projects just like "Mr. JP-Pops," I feel some kind of way about these shenanigans. I was talking to Pop's old homegirl from around the way a couple days ago and she was telling me (actually bragging - and with good reason) about the high standards that she, her sisters and the rest of the neighborhood held themselves to. She talked about the pride they took in keeping their community clean, abiding by strict moral codes and dating only the best of the best. In essence, she was telling me that they were poor (she used the term raggedy, lol) but it didn't define them or any other aspect of their lives. In other words, everything else about them was rich. How beautiful is that? I think that's a wonderful way to think. And it reminds me of the standard in which my family lived by (even though the rest of the neighborhood was a hell-hole). Either way, I can definitely get with Mr. JP-Pop's message, but I still think that the "talented tenth" aren't holding up their end of the bargain either. Donating money isn't the only way to extend charity and the "teach a man to fish" proverb isn't just some quaint little story. It means, you have to get your hands dirty and actually SHOW people how to live right rather than donate money to some random cause and hope never to have to cross paths with another Black person from the lower rungs of society. Just my thoughts.
Yes, We Still Need BHM
Every year I hear (some) people complain that there is no need for Black History Month anymore. I think it will continue to be necessary as long as Black folks continue to make history. Is that confusing? Allow me to explain. Ex: Barack Obama is the first Black president of the United States of America. Some lady at my job is the first Black woman in the history of the (blank) company to hold a specific position as an on-air person. As long as we are breaking boundaries, Black History Month is necessary because in this day and age it's disappointing that we are still even uttering the phrase "the first Black person to . . . " Until we are fifty years out from ever hearing that phrase again, Black History Month is necessary. Again, just my opinion.
Ummm...I think that's all I got. Enjoy your last day of Black History Month everybody!
I don't know what to say. We need more pride.
ReplyDeleteYea, I don't wanna watch another show about black women being single either, it's no longer a comical situation. And overall we have got to do better. This is a different day and we have yet to fully take advantage of it.
ReplyDeleteNow I have to watch Three Amigos! That was hilarious..
@Steph - You just said it. That's exactly what it is. And to tell you the truth, I think that message can be useful for all of American society, not just Black people.
ReplyDelete@SheBloggs - I've never related to the kinds of women that they feature in those tv specials and I find it embarrassing, depressing and confusing to see the horrible statistics on Black men (as if that's the only demographic that Black women are allowed to date). To me, these television programs are sending out a negative subliminal message. Either way, I'm going to go add the 3 Amigos to my netflix queue too.
Thnx for the comments!