We (African Caribbean) are the only people on planet earth, that were historically stripped of our Identity, indigenious language & Culture, Our original sir names, replaced with the sir-name of our slave master, (Smith - Jones - Johnson) Language of our slave master, (English) and by way of culture and value system, assimilated towards the western values and so under the thumb of, wholly dependant on our slave masters children.
These are some of the key aspects that contribute to our very being and behaviour, and so as consantly in need of evaluation & self-correction.
Whilst many internalise a sense of Blackness, by way of family influence, or early academic study so may grow up occupying their blackness natrually, many more struggle to adopt this new found truth, struggling to deviate from the normal when surrounded by intolerant, heavily integrated friends and family, and so it's important we share our transitions to blackness in order to encourage someone who may be on the fringe of an amazingly introspective journey.
Here are a few steps to help you, comfort you, support you and allow you to accept yourself.
1. That feeling of discontent.
People come to knowledge and new information many diffrent ways, still often for black people, when that 'wtf' feeling hits you, that curiosity begins to burn, when you feel those African drums almost beating in your heart, you leave church on sunday feeling discontent because suddenly jesus's word just doesn't hit the spot, you start to question you behaviour, something just isn't right.
You're at a place called preriphall consciousness -- This is an inherently installed triggering of self-realisation, in black people. - Sometimes by way of a strange feeling of common attachment to something you're unfamiliar with; also triggered at a period you become disenchanted, diconnected with society at large, and so begin to ask, where do i fit into all this? Why am i here? What's my purpose! --
2 Empowerment begins!
As you begin to realise your brown skin, blackness, melanated complexion has & still does play the biggest role in your world, success and future families reality, your journey will begin.
If you live in the west, (England - America) it's more than likely you live in a somewhat 'normal' integrated society--community. This often makes it difficult to deviate & stick with your self-investigation, for fear of standing out like a sore thumb, people you're close to will constantly re-enforce the norm, saying things like "It's not that deep" - "Just gotta accept the way it is"
"Racism's dead" -- "I don't even see colour, we're all human beings"
However i implore you to investiagte those statements for yourself, as you begin to study you will find how much relevent information to yourself, the 'Norm' of the society you are in, and the ignorance of friends and family has distracted us all from understanding and empowering ourselves.
Why must we empower ourselves, because many of the economic (poor>wealth) social & political - institutional rights and privileges are still in the favour of one race.
Your duty as a black person isn't to fit into a system the way it is, but either build with your own, or educate yourself to make radical change in the society you live in, or continue to occupy the legacy of poverty and discrimination left to us.
3. Distractions.
Many people including myself, found it difficult coming from the church, having white friends and generally being rewarded for my ignorance, to investigate the inception of Christianity and it's socio-political function. To study and so question 'whiteness' which is an attitude, to question white supremcy and historically aggressive behaviour on behalf of white people, that disempowered black people (Africans) -- whilst having white friends, growing up in a white area, even as i began to study, widening my vocab so making me seem intellgent, which made many around me feel a little apprehensive, insecure & uncomfortable.
4. Take control
You've made a descion to better yourself, to learn your true identity,
and so it's time to communicate this with anyone you feel you value & would like to continue friendship with.
Make it clear i want to invest my time into studying and so being myself, as a black woman or man, i want to be proud of mt culture just as you are, i want to know that all i should be doing as a black woman or man, i am doing, and that i'm not ignorantly, disrespecting my own people.
You do not have to announce your movements to everyone just yet, only important and potentially problematic oradversarial people, if you so choose to, just to give you a little peace of mind.
5.Sacrifice
If after you've made your movements clear, some still don't accept you, fuck em. The only important people in your life at this point, are those who support your movements whatever they may be, anyone unsupportive of you being yourself, isn't a friend.
Slight adaptations to your avenue of income and/or company may have to be made, if you feel the enviroment you are in, isn't conducive to the path you're walking -- as begin to study and transition.
I myself quit my job and lost 85% of my friends, but then i got a new job and replaced 85% of my friends, so lol.
Seriously, life is a journey, a game of knowing who to keep around and who to let go as you make voyages in any area of self-consciousness improvement, many you once entertained just won't survive the expansion.
You must be willing to make sacrafices, leave behind the old, in order to make room for the new.
Keep it moving.
6. To elevate, one must isolate.
In order to imbue and exude your blackness you gotta get on your study, and for many people this is a time we must make a conscious descion to isolate ourselves away from the world, from ignorant friends and family, just for short periods, re-emerge after a weekend and spend time with your loves ones, take breaks, go to the gym to release any anger or tension.... and then get right back on that study!
(Don't forget to fo work or college)
7. What do i study?
Now, this study isn't the most exciting of things you are going to do in life, there isn't a universal black curriculum as such, as most European institutes have excluded our story & much acknowledgement of our intellectual critiques of whiteness & their system.
It's important to learn from your own!
This is one of the many issues we have as a people, we often only revere and respect knowledge when it's coming from a white mouth, or a wise Asian man in some mountains, joke is, there was no knowledge of self before the science of the Black man & woman and indegenous lands & nature of Africa, no religion, no modern science. The first two universities in the world were in Africa, and so why study the immatators, when we can study the true progenitors of much of modern wisdom?!
So much of your study will be book to book, youtube video to youtube video, community lectures (and so on)
It's a case of taking notes, everywhere you go, note, note, note, in your phone -- on your laptop, of anything and everything you find relevent & interesting.
As time progresses, and this could be anything from 8 months to 4 years, to comprehend the basics, the rewards -- the feeling of 'brand new' of content-ness-- the 'buzz' is second to none. It feels as if you've take off a white mask and you're feeling your Blackness for the very first time.... the more information you take in, the better and longer lasting the buzz, untill eventually you wake up, look into the mirror and imbue a natural buzz and internal happiness at the person the mirror shows you.
To start you off...
Check out: Google: Youtube search: Amazon search:
Malcolm X
The Black War (youtube)
Frances Cress welsing
John Henrik Clarke
Minsister Louis Farrakhan
Umar Johnson
Assata Shakur
Joyce De Gru
Brother Polight
Marcus Garvey
Tim wise
Dr Amos Wilson
Sa Neta TV
Dr Ali Muhammad
Be aware, many of these practioners are American and/or of past generations,
regardless, much of African American culture and so oppression corresponds with ours, and so their study is relevent, your job is only to put it into context with your experience in your country/city.
I was told early into my studies, study the blueprint and modernise.
Study your ansestors and see much of the knowledge they left is still 100% relevent today!
We'll move onto modern sciences later, first it's important to internalise your assosiation with Africa and so impregnate the foundation of your blackness.
Remember your Blackness is a global identity, emanating from Africa, black here is black there. Black UK is black USA, Afro-Brazlian is African -- your identity is occupied by over 30 billion people, you're NOT a minority, but only second to Eastern Asains a global
majority!!
8. Why do i study?
Fall in love with yourself, for the first time in your life......
.... (Part two up later)
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