NO MORE LABELS, TIME TO TALK!

NO MORE LABELS, TIME TO TALK!

Today is the last day of February, the one month of the year designated to recognize Americans that happened to be born with Black skin.


Every day this month, I took the time to show that no matter what we are told, Americans have made our lifestyles possible.


We are lawyers, judges, doctors, legislators, administrators, scientists, educators, and so much more. We come in all shades of blacks, browns, and other shades of color. We are young, middle age, and old, but we are still contributing and making a difference.


We have faced struggles. We are in the middle of the struggle. We ARE the struggle, and we ARE making a difference.


We are families. We are educated. We are trailblazers. We are pioneers. We are people vested in the building of America. We will not be denied or marginalized to one month a year when our contributions are ongoing and have been ongoing for centuries.


We are more than what is written in the history books, and yet, we have not fulfilled our potential.


There are so many Black unsung heroes -- male and female -- that have been taking the hits, putting in the time, and creating livable communities for AMERICANS, not Black Americans, Chinese Americans, Hispanic Americans, or White Americans. TRUST ME WHEN I TELL YOU THERE ARE NO WHITE AMERICANS -- faired skinned Americans, yes, but they too come from Spain, Russia, England, France, and so many other countries. White America is terminology created in America to separate, denigrate, and diminish others so that others may feel important.


Those with black, drown, or other dark skin tones are just as American as those with fairer skin and believe me when I tell you that there is no difference in bodily composition beneath the skin. Yes, genes and DNA are different; science has proven that depending on the part of the world we came from, those genes and that DNA was created for a purpose specific to our skin colorations.


Bottom line, Black History Month is an opportunity to showcase the contribution of Black Americans, living and dead, and our contributions go beyond those few American men and women that are showcased year after year as if that is the history of Americans whose skin color is Black, Brown, or other dark tones.


First and foremost, most of us who are called Black or African American was born here, and just like any other group of people who come to the United States, and a child is born, that child becomes an AMERICAN!

We can’t be African Americans because for the most part most of us have never even been to Africa. When tracing my ancestry, many of our slave masters were from European countries. We know on some sides of my family (Browns, Washingtons, Miles, Williams) the slave owners had children that they made with our ancestors. We also know that history has shown that when a white or fair-skinned South African comes to America and becomes a naturalized citizen s/he also becomes an African American and benefits from that designation.

In my own self-designation when color is an issue, I have decided that I am Black – even when my children, grandchildren, and great grands state emphatically that I am brown or tan. I have chosen black because there is nothing more powerful than black gold (oil), more sought after than black diamonds, not more frequently used to designate wealth “I’m in the black.” “A Black-Tie Affair.” “Black Friday or Monday.”

Black is only derogatory when used as a put-down by anybody that seeks to belittle someone else. Designating myself as a “Black woman” differentiates me from another race or ethnic group and I am definitely NOT PUTTING ME DOWN. In fact, I am lifting me up!