Who are We?

The United States of America is a place where many different races, cultures and backgrounds, all live on one great land, under one great law. That is what makes the U.S. different and unique. Every year thousands of people migrate to America in search of the American dream, knowing exactly where they came from and where they are going. But what if you did not know where you came from and did not have any place to return? What if you did not know who you were?

What if you were a race that instead of migrating, you we forced to come to a country beyond your will? What once use to be a group of people that were slaves that were brought on a boat over from Africa, is now a group of people that cannot figure out just where they came from. It was a group of people that spoke many different languages, but were forced to speak English or say nothing at all.

They forced us to forget about our customs and beliefs, and we were forced to learn new ones. We were taught that our Master ranked supreme and our duty was to serve him. Our men watched their women get raped in front of them, and now you want us to be a race of confidence. We then became the race that would soon build this entire country, yet still we would not be accepted as apart of it.


What do you call a race that was not even considered half of a man? I know, we will call it a race that was finally granted freedom, yet till this day we are still locked behind bars. We will call it a race that had to live with Jim Crow as if we were lesser than everyone else. I guess we are the race that finally stood up and started a movement.

But what do you call a race that fought for so many years, only to be still in a similar position? We may be able to sit in the front of the bus and attend their Ivy League Schools, but we attend our own public schools, and they are still average at best.


Do not get me wrong, we are more than what they tried to make us. We are the race that entertained the masses, became the strongest athletes, overcame the most obstacles, and till this day continues to strive for new heights despite what we have been through.


But yet we are still lost and cannot figure out where we came from. They went from calling us Nigger to Negro, and now we cannot figure out if should call ourselves Black or African American. We use African American, but in the Motherland they do not want us to claim them. Everyone can claim a country, yet we claim a Continent. We do not know what country we are from or tribe to say we are apart of.

The only thing we know is that we are American, yet we still stuggle out to find out what that means. It seems like to me that America does not want us either; so we go back and forth trying to figure out how to be accepted.


We have some people that learn all they can about African, dress the part, and hope to return one day. Then we have others that wish their hair was lighter and their eyes were blue. We cannot wait to say we are mixed. We often claim we have Indian in our family, but the only tribe we know of is Cherokee.


Who are we? This has been something that Blacks have struggled with for years. As we continue to develop who were are, it seems like we are once again stripped of it.


But I will tell you who we are. We are Black Americans who have a story like no other. We are a race that was once stripped of our culture, but has developed a new one since we got here. We are the ones that turned left over scraps into what we call Soul Food. We are a race that built the nations capitol, and is now watching one of our own take over the capitol. We can call ourselves a race that fought for Civil Rights when the country was against us. We are a race that attended HBCU's and created some of the greatest and most talented people in the world.


You might as well call us the race that has produced the best athletes and entertainers in our country. You can shout out to the world that we invented most forms of music and dance. It is okay to say that we are a race that is made up of different shades of color, and our strong features are what gives us character. We are the race that comes from a Continent that has produced some of the strongest people mentally and physically. Then it is not a surprise that we are a race that built this entire country. We are a race the faces hardships everyday, but like the story of Moses and the Jews, there is good at the end.

The key to the success and advancement of our community, is to be confident in whom we are. Hold on to what you got, and continue to make new things. Do not let your children forget about where we started in this country, and let them know where we are going. Although we may have originally lost our culture from our countries in Africa, we have developed a new one here. Embrace what we have and be proud of whom you are. Do not rely on the acceptance of others, love one another. Who we are, might have only started about 400 something years ago, but our culture is stronger than ever.


Everyday tell one new Black person that they are beautiful, talented, successful, loving, thoughtful, or anything positive that you can think of. Show them that winning "their" Oscar, does not confirm the talent you have. Wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say, "I am proud to be Black. I love myself and those around me. I am not defined by how the media portrays me, but by the struggle and determination embedded inside of me."


The Key is telling our youth the above every chance that we get; have you done that lately?


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