A series, inspired by the CNN special, dedicated to race related identity issues concerning Black people in America.
Historically the United States has believed itself to be a country like any other (and most times above all others) with a unique culture and heritage. Nothing could be further from the truth. In truth, The United States is a refugee camp full of immigrants with a blend of ethnicities and cultural backgrounds that has created a unique gumbo that might be identified as “American Culture.” The primary ingredients of that gumbo are Black and White. The White representing the dominant (often oppressive) and Black representing the disenfranchised and challenging.
White people in America have a history of being oppressive people who dominate other cultures. This is evidenced by the effects of American colonization where Native Americans were slaughtered for then country and Africans were enslaved to build it. This history has left White Americans the legacy of being the dominant and priveleged people in this country. Conversely, Black people in America (as descendants of slaves) were left a legacy a disenfranchisement and repression. The Black people (slaves) were the first to challenge White oppression and garner some success.
I offer this historical summary to show the evolution of the American perspectives; Black and White. As other people migrated to America, the battle for equality became more complex. Now there are people with Asian and Hispanic heritage who are also caught in this war. As these ethnicities join the American struggle, they do not add additional sides to the battle they are associated with one of the two sides already engaged in war. This is how I come to the conclusion that in America, the only perspectives (not ethnicities) are White and Black. White has become the symbol of oppression, degradation, and disenfranchisement. Black has become the symbol of everything that is Non-White (revolutionary, equality, and progression). When we talk about race, Black and White, in America we aren’t talking about skin color, we’re talking about about the experience: the haves and the have nots.
I’m not sayin; I’m just sayin,
An Angry Black Man
The Angriest Black Man in America
Black In America: What is Race?
Posted: December 14, 2012 in Black In America, GeneralTags: African American, African American bloggers, Black, Black bloggers, black in America, black man, black woman, cultural criticism, what is race
Historically the United States has believed itself to be a country like any other (and most times above all others) with a unique culture and heritage. Nothing could be further from the truth. In truth, The United States is a refugee camp full of immigrants with a blend of ethnicities and cultural backgrounds that has created a unique gumbo that might be identified as “American Culture.” The primary ingredients of that gumbo are Black and White. The White representing the dominant (often oppressive) and Black representing the disenfranchised and challenging.
White people in America have a history of being oppressive people who dominate other cultures. This is evidenced by the effects of American colonization where Native Americans were slaughtered for then country and Africans were enslaved to build it. This history has left White Americans the legacy of being the dominant and priveleged people in this country. Conversely, Black people in America (as descendants of slaves) were left a legacy a disenfranchisement and repression. The Black people (slaves) were the first to challenge White oppression and garner some success.
I offer this historical summary to show the evolution of the American perspectives; Black and White. As other people migrated to America, the battle for equality became more complex. Now there are people with Asian and Hispanic heritage who are also caught in this war. As these ethnicities join the American struggle, they do not add additional sides to the battle they are associated with one of the two sides already engaged in war. This is how I come to the conclusion that in America, the only perspectives (not ethnicities) are White and Black. White has become the symbol of oppression, degradation, and disenfranchisement. Black has become the symbol of everything that is Non-White (revolutionary, equality, and progression). When we talk about race, Black and White, in America we aren’t talking about skin color, we’re talking about about the experience: the haves and the have nots.
I’m not sayin; I’m just sayin,
An Angry Black Man
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