It’s easy to disassociate yourself from your culture, but it’s not easy to disassociate your culture from yourself. Despite the turbulent state that the US is in right now, a lot of African-Americans refuse to support the cause of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Why? Because they are in a space right now where they believe they are above the color of their skin.
This “space” that I am referring to is the space where high profiling African Americans keep telling themselves that they are not black, they are themselves. Yes, you are yourself and I’m me? But, that doesn’t take away from the fact that your skin is black. So whether your a “Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga, rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga”, your still a nigga.
In the Story of O.J Jay Z brought this fact across clearly. No matter who you think you are, once the color of your skin is black, in the eyes of racist people you are still a nigga. For us to be viewed as equals by another race, we need to view ourselves as one race. Once we can do that, then we can unite our culture.
Michael B. Jordon once said in an interview that “being black in America is like being in a compressed box anchored to the bottom of the ocean, where you have ten thousand pounds of pressure on you at all time”. Why do we have to feel like that? Why are we under so much pressure? Is the color of our blood not the same? Are we not humans just the same? America was built from the blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors, so we deserve to be treated the same as any other race. We deserve equality.
We bleach our skin and straighten our hair to fit yourself into their [white people] world. For what reason? They still see you like a nigga. So I say embrace who you are. We’re black and we are proud.
Last Words
George Floyd – I can’t breathe (May 25, 2020)
Philando Castile – I wasn’t reaching for it (July 6, 2016)
Christian Taylor – I don’t wanna die young (August 7, 2015)
Samuel DuBose – I didn’t even do nothing (July 19, 2015)
Freddy Gray – I can’t breathe (April 2015)
Walter Scott – They tasing me (April 2015)
Natasha McKenna – You promise you wouldn’t kill me (February 3, 2015)
Michael Brown – I don’t have a gun. Stop shooting (August 9, 2014)
Eric Garner – I can’t breathe (July 17, 2014)
Kimani Gray – Please don’t let me die (March 9, 2013)
Kendrec McDade – Why did you shoot me? (March 24, 2012)
Trayvon Martin – What are you following me for? (February 26, 2012)
Kenneth Chamberlin – Officers, why do you have your guns out? (November 19, 2011)
Oscar Grant – You shot me. You shot me (January 1, 2009)
Sean Bell – I love you, too (November 26, 2006)
