As I follow brother Runoko Rashidi on Facebook I saw a post of his that read…”Never Lose Your Culture.” My question to you is, have we as African Americans lost our culture? Did we ever have one? If so what is it?
There are times when my people are so pro black that they put down things that by choice or force are a part of the African American experience. I have seen people put down the eating of soul food saying…”that’s slave food.” Shit, I like soul food. I am not ashamed of it. By necessity slaves ate the leftovers or items not deemed edible by whites, but they made it delicious. It’s a skill to make the best of what you have, to innovate and create.
I see young people (early 30’s and under) in LA who have grown up in a fake racially homogenized utopia and they are unaware of their blackness. They are not proud of their blackness. They do not embrace their blackness. They are ignorant of their blackness. So they don’t reflect their ancestors in their everyday lives. I find that the 2,000 plus miles between the Midwest and West Coast keeps the movement slow and abated here at times. What is it that keeps them blind? Easy, their parents and grandparents don’t pass down the history, the struggle, the victories, therefore kids are shocked when some non-black person overtly treats them less than. All along thinking they were equal when they were just being pacified with material things and pretty weather.
I personally think our culture has evolved into us trying to reconnect the Africa. We are an uprooted people without a complete history and direct line to the land of our ancestors. I know I personally hope for a meaningful connection to my brothers and sisters in Africa. However I do recognize how our African brothers and sisters who have come to America and mimic the materialistic (money, clothes and hos) part of what we do and don’t know African American history. There lies the disconnect. Do they know, understand, and respect our struggle? Do they understand and recognize the psychological stigma, oppression and behaviors that have been passed down from generation to generation as a means of survival? Do they judge our culture for what they don’t fully understand?
So, what is our culture?
Soul Food?
Blues, R& B and Rock and Roll Music?
Vernacular?
Story Telling?
Hair Styles?
Have we lost our culture?
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