"Nigger??"; "Blackness??"- Are you kidding me??

So many things come to mind when I think about the words, and given meanings of "Blackness" and "Nigger". First off, having read 'The English Language is My Enemy' by Ossie Davis, I was appauled by the synonyms that are used for the word "BLACKNESS"- "Evil, wicked, malignant, unwashed, foul, dirty' and the list goes on. Just because we're Black- technically speaking, doesn't mean we are ant of these things. It makes me furious knowing that people who are pale think of mee in that way.

However, when it comes to the word 'Nigger', I see it as being a double standard; this is because:
1. It's considered okay for your "hommies", people you're "cool" with, or people who are the same color as you- to call you "Nigger".
2. It's considered derogatory when someone "White" refers to you as "Nigger".
This is because there is a dfferent meaning when someone black or white calls you a "Nigger". For the Black it refers to being my "homie" or "my boi" or "my brother from another mother"; and as for the White, on the other hand, it refers to the synonyms listed above that are used to describe "Blackness".

All in all it is not a great feeling knowing that this is what people who didn't have to work hard to get where they are; people who fit into the American System with ease; and/or people who are considered "perfect" at no everything they do and try to attempt- think of blacks.

Know Where to Put Your Faith

With God all things are possible. And despite all the negativity Ben Carson still knew to place his faith. In "Saving a Life" by Ben Carson, he carefully explains the process of a hemisherectomy performed on a little girl by the name of Maranda Francisco. Before the hemisherectomy even started all odds were against him; however, in the end he left "the results in God's hands".

Having read this essay it felt as though I was in the OR during the surgery. He made each incision, each drill, each injection, and each seperation seem very precise. Even though at times it seemed as though Maranda would not make it- due to inflamation and countless amounts of blood loss, Doctor Carson still kept the faith.

In Introduction to Psychology I learned about the brain and its like to human behavior. In this case, seeing that the left hemisphere of the brain was removed- due to inflamation, the right side of her body would have been paralized. However, the choice was either dying or having a portion of her body paralyzed. And despite the fact that being paralyzed would feel like torture, I would still rather life.

"When my thoughts turned to God, I thanked him for wisdom, for helping to guide my hands," said Dr. Carson. I couldn't have said it better myself. Through all and all we should all remember to give thanks to the one who deserves it; no matter how big or small the situation, God deserves all praise, honor and glory. And I am positive that Maranda and her parents feel the same way.

The Only Hope of Resistance

"Dere's a Great Camp Meetin' in de Promised Land," "Look Away in de Heaven, Lord," ("Slavery Resistance" 96), controlling the animals with cruelty as a means of revenge, destroying the fields, committing suicide, dismantling the limbs from their bodies, and poisoning their masters, was the only hope of resistance for the Southern slaves in the 1800's.

Slavery has been around for centuries as a means of economic benefits; or was it a way for the slave masters to alleviate stress by beating and torturing the slaves to death? In 'Slavery Resistance' by John Hope Franklin, he makes mention of the numerous occassions when slaves were being tortured to death by their masters and how the slaves began their revolt because of this. There were instances where a slaves' body was dismantled and his parts were thrown in the fire, and there was even a time where a slave was killed by an axe by his master. The pain and anguish that was inflicted on the slaves drove them to do many absurd things which initiated their only hope of resistance.

To me, resistance may be defined as the capacity to withstand any sort of force, but I believe that to the slaves it meant FREEDOM- they were free from their masters and also free from this world. The slaves' freedom meant everything to them. The probability of this knowledge was 100 to 0, because if a female killed their offspring just so their offspring would not go through the same thing that they went through should tell you a lot about how bad things were on the plantations. Slaves went to the extreme of grinding glass and adding Arsenic Poison to their masters' provisions; they even attempted to run away- some of the slaves were successful but others were not. Although some of the slaves got caught, that still did not stop their strive for their optimism.

"Old pirates, yes, they rob I;
Sold I to the merchant ships,
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly."

Were the words of the Late Great Reggae artist Bob Marley; this song can desperately relate to slaves because it depicts where they came from, what they have been through and where they ended. They're free at last.

Not a Curse, but an Honor

Being black is an honor; not because of where we come from, but because of the hardships our ancestors had to tackle during their time of slavery. In 'Never African Again' by Gerald Early, he indirectly speaks about slavery and he states " For we must accept who and what we are and the forces and conditions that have made us this, not as defeat or triumph, not in shame or with grandiose pride, but as the tangled, strange, yet poignant and immeasureable record of an imperishable human presence." And from my point-of-view, this statement, reinforces the Africanness in African Americans; because Africanness is relevant to American Blacks to help understand what it means to be an American. That statement is outstandingly true because you cannot forget where you came from, in order to become what you are now.


I am not African American, but I am of African descent; and I am not ashamed of it. On the other hand, what I am afraid of, is the fact that I am not knowledgeable of my ancestors culture; however, I am conservant of my islands culture.


The fact that my ancestors culture is unfamiliar to me, is exactly what 'Never African Again' reflects from my view. How can someone who says that they're black and they're proud or it is an honor to be black, not know where their "Blackness" or "Africanness" is all about?


It is time for us as blacks to make a difference- through color comparisons we are already different; so how about putting some meaning behind who and what we are, and find out what makes us so black and proud.


Below is a link to a music video entitled Black like a tar by Richie Spice (Jamaican Reggae Artist). It basically talks about being black, being proud and knowing who you are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPaq2tK-JMo