I remember when I was a little girl the big thing to do to instill pride in being African-American in black children was to tell them ‘We came from kings and queens in Africa’ and to extol the virtues of ancient African kingdoms. While I can sort of see the logic in doing this, I also think it is somewhat irrelevant and keeps black Americans focused on the past instead of what we’re doing in the here and now. Also what we need to be doing to improve things in the future. After all, what is the point of telling a black child about how glorious and magnificent many African cultures used to be, when that same child can turn on the TV and see that those same cultures are now in shambles and can barely feed their own people. Lest you think I am suggesting that we shouldn’t feel pride in the many, many accomplishments of our people (including originating civilization), let me state clearly that is not what I mean. I mean we need to feel pride and respect for our culture(s) in the here and now, and pride and respect for ALL that we have accomplished. It is just as important and meaningful to be a descendant of a slave as it is to be a descendant of a king. Why? Because living through and surviving slavery with nothing but the hope of a better future for your descendants is a tremendous achievement. Our ancestors survived, and that is something to be proud of.

1. Learn your history. Learn about who your people are. Read about slavery and how we survived it, how we often escaped it, and how we fought for freedom. You can also learn about where most American slaves came from in Africa and learn about those cultures. You may also be able to trace your actual family, which I was surprised to learn. Slaves were considered property and information on them was often recorded. Black people in the United States have also contributed an enormous amount to the development and greatness of this country. When you consider that we are only 13% of the population (and that’s our population density now, not in the past) you will see that our contributions as Americans is all out of proportion compared to other ethnicities in the states. Now that is something to be proud of!

2. Learn the history of other cultures. I think that because we are forced to learn American history from a slanted, racist point of view and often the history of european cultures as well when we are in school that many of us resist the idea of learning anything more about other cultures. This is fair, but consider that there are many other cultures in the world. Pick one or a few and read up on them. You may be surprised how this has an impact on you and can strengthen your respect for your own culture. Why? because when you learn about other cultures you will discover that other cultures have had negative things happen to them too. You will discover that people are people and no other culture is superior to another.

3. Focus on the future. When considering black people, what kind of future do you imagine for black people? What kind of hope do you have for our people in the United States? Worldwide? How can you be a part of changing things for us? When considering things individually, what kind of future do you want for yourself? Do you feel confident in making plans for your future? If not, why? Answering these questions can help clarify your feelings on this subject. When you feel confident and powerful about directing your life instead of being a passive victim of racism, it intensifies your feelings of pride in yourself as a black person.

4. Turn away from the negative.There are a lot of negative things in the media being perpetrated in the name of black culture. Drug dealing, gangster rap, broken families, glorification of incarceration, and more. You don’t have to embrace these things because so many other black people are. These are not things that originated in our culture; they are things that happened as a result of living in a racist culture bent on destroying black people. I sometimes get the impression from other black people that they embrace these things because they feel that these are the only way racist white people will ‘allow’ us to live, or the only way to be ‘keep it real’ and be authentic black people. Hogwash!

5. Focus on the positive. There are so many positive things happening in our culture, why not choose to focus on the positive? And it’s ok to be happy, so why not choose to focus on the positive things happening in your own life? Take note of positive things happening to other black people, and try to feel genuine joy for them. When you feel overwhelmed at how racist the culture is in the United States, try to focus on the many positive social changes that have occured due to so many black people just like yourself who put themselves out there to improve things for us all.

This blog entry written by Trula. Thanks for visiting Seed & Flame!

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