A ROSE, by any other name ......

African, Colored, Negro, Black, Afro-American, African American…

Above are multiple terms used to identify people of African decent living in America. These identifiers have changed over time, because times change. The interaction between black people and how they view themselves, as well as how others view them, have changed, and words used to identify us as a people have changed, along with evolving ideologies and perspectives.

Brought over from Africa to serve as slaves, Blacks eventually gained freedom but not equality. We were treated as second-class citizens. Blacks were finally granted equal rights but not the privileges afforded others, and the search for a common term, a name they could use to describe themselves, continues until today.

It started me asking some questions: Who chooses the names? What is the true meaning behind the choice? Does the name connect historically? Why is it so difficult to decide on a name and maintain it? 

The changeable names used to describe Black Americans express a complex search for a cultural and racial identity!

Let's examine some of those names and what they mean in describing us as a people. 

 During slavery, Blacks arriving from Africa, naturally chose to call themselves Africans.  However Blacks soon lost touch with the traditions of their homeland as a result of a strategy designed for their separation from their historical identity and culture. This strategy often separated children from their families at birth, allowing them no connection with their family.

Furthermore, their exposure to racist representations that systematically portrayed Africans as heathen, ape-like savages running naked in the jungle soon led Blacks to reject the term (African) whose use, in their altered consciousness, evoked negative connotations. Hence African, as an identifier became obsolete. African became and remains in the minds of some people, an insult.

Both blacks and whites dismissed the term African as an identifier. The prevailing descriptive term became Negro. The word Negro is Spanish for black. The Spanish language derives from Latin, which has its origins in Classical Greek. The word Negro, in Greek, is derived from the root word necro, meaning dead. What was once referred to as a physical condition could now be regarded as an appropriate state of mind for millions of the African Diaspora. The term Negro denotes a race of dead people with a dead history and no hope for resurrection as long as they remained ignorant of their past. Although most Blacks up until the late 1960’s, including our leaders, like Martin Luther King, utilized the term it was ultimately rejected because it was a term that defined a painful past and was subscribed by others to describe us.

The word Colored (often spelled Coloured) soon became prevalent in the Black community. The word was synonymous with Negro. The term initially came about to describe the resulting offspring of forced sexual activity between oppressor and oppressed, this interaction resulted in a wider spectrum of skin complexions among blacks. Widely used until the beginning of the 20th century, the term Colored was later used to encompassed all non-Whites. Colored could include Blacks, Native Americans, Mexicans in the Southwest, and later Asians and Latinos, though it referred primarily to Blacks. The largest Black political association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in 1909, (by whites, but more on that in a later blog) and was initially started to further the social and political agenda of mulatto or "colored" offspring in white society.

The 1960's were a time of cultural resurrection. It was a time of collective awareness, when Afro hairstyles were in vogue and the "Black is Beautiful" movement was born. Many Blacks began to rediscover and embrace their African roots. The identifier, Black became the preferred term, sanctified by the Black Panthers and James Brown's song "Say it Loud: I'm Black and I'm Proud!". Black signifies a skin color, not an ethnic origin or cultural heritage. Initially it only applied to black people in America, even those of light complexion. It later was utilized to encompass the entire African Diaspora.

Today, Black identifies a state of mind, or consciousness. There is no place called "Blackia" so in a technical sense there are no people that came from it's lands. Black is a term that unifies people of a similar ancestry and circumstance, but it does not reflect the history or cultural lineage of a people. The term Black has no cultural, or historical relationship to an actual place or a people.

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The 1970s and 1980s gave birth to the many hyphenated terms that described modern America's ethnic minorities (Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, etc. The Black community chose Afro-American, which had been used in writing since the beginning of the century. In an attempt to put the two components of the term on equal footing, Afro-American gave way to African-American and later African American. The hyphen was deleted as it implied the idea of a sub-category.

But does this new term resolve all our issues concerning identity? Have we truly stopped looking for new names? Although most people use African American, many Blacks argue that there is nothing African about them, and as such, the term does not represent them.

The 1990 census revealed some issues, since many Blacks did not initially identify with the term Black, so the government added African American as a category instead. Jesse Jackson vehemently defended the term and explained why;  "African American expresses a sense of belonging to a culture and, more important, creates a bridge between the African continent and the African Diaspora". 

Why is the name we use to identify ourselves so important? Beside all the perceived cultural, social, and psychological reasons for coming to a consensus on whom we are as a people. It's really not about any of those things. It has been, and will always be about, one thing... POWER!

In the allegory of Adam & Eve, Adam is given POWER to name things and as a result of being given this POWER, he is given dominion over that which he names. When we as a people permit others to name and define the parameters that define us. We give them dominion and ultimately, POWER over us!

Life can be learned backward,... but must be lived forward

We are Afrikans, living in America. This is the one aspect of our being that is common to all of us. Denying being Afrikan doesn't change that fact. Being an Afrikan is a state of mind, a state of  consciousness, not necessarily the geographic location. Being an Afrikan connects us, unifies us and gives us the cultural foundation upon which we can define our evolution as a people. Our history should create our shared identity and based on that identity, we empower ourselves as a collective.

We are Black because we share a common circumstance.

We are Afrikan because we share a common origin.

We are American because we occupy a common land.

We are Black Afrikan Americans, be proud!

ASE'

AFRIKAN CONSCIOUSNESS

“I freed a thousand slaves, I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves”.
Harriet Tubman

As I reflect on the above quote of mother Harriet Tubman, I can’t help but contemplate the subject of consciousness and its effect on the overall outlook of people. A person’s consciousness gives meaning and substance to how one views themselves and the realities of any condition they find themselves in. In the first section of the above quote mother Tubman alludes to the fact that she “freed” thousands of “slaves”. In the context of the quote, thousands of individuals were removed via her assistance, from an environment of forced servitude and transported physically to another environment where they could be “free” to engage in activity that would appear more beneficial to them as an individual and not necessarily for the gain of another. Yet no matter where they went they were still prejudged and subsequently victimized based on the color of their skin. So free or slave they all shared a commonality,.... oppression. The only thing that varied was the degree. Mother Tubman expresses the concept that a large number of "slaves" were not consciously aware of the realities of their situation. They were able to accept slavery because they became satisfied with inequality.

Before we can define Afrikan Consciousness, let’s first define…

CONSCIOUSNESS: - to increase one's awareness and understanding of one's own needs, behavior, attitudes, etc., especially as a member, of a particular social or political group, the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of a people, full activity of the mind and senses, awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge.

To increase one’s awareness, one must first recognize that our current conscious condition is in error and that there is a need to elevate how we see ourselves in relationship to our environment. In other words, we must embrace our desire for both personal growth and our elevation as a collective. I believe it would be difficult for any black person who believe themselves conscious, not to acknowledge that the current state of Black Consciousness is in total disarray.

From my personal perspective, it seems that we have “drank the Kool-Aid”, that is the Eurocentric concept that individual prosperity is more desirable than our elevation as a people (greed is good). I would ask you the reader; what has been gained by subscribing to this mindset?

Are our communities growing and prosperous? Are our youth gravitating towards, and truly learning from, the government sanctioned educational system? Do stable families abound, thus providing positive examples for future generations? Do our young men have high esteem and view others as extensions of themselves and therefore understand the value of life, and everyone’s right to exist? No matter how high you climb up on the socio-economic ladder are there still those who will never see you as truly their equal?
Even the most self centered black person in the world would have to understand the black community is in crisis and if viable intervention isn’t applied soon, every individual no matter what their mindset, will be touched by it’s adverse effects, eventually. All I propose is that we consciously acknowledge that there are serious issues and initiate the process of beginning a positive, and lasting transition towards normalcy.

So what is Afrikan Consciousness? Before we define what it is, let me elaborate on what it is not. Afrikan Consciousness is not a desire to migrate back to “The Motherland”. It doesn’t mean that everyone should suddenly put on a Dashiki and greet each other in Swahili (although these things couldn’t hurt in reinforcing an Afrikan mind set). It doesn’t mean that we should hate everything or everyone who is not black or considers themselves Afrikan (hate is a negative vibration and should have no place in anyone’s consciousness).

Afrikan Consciousness simply understands and embraces the concept of the village. It is the understanding that in a village everyone has purpose and is responsible to him or herself, as well as to the village itself. A village understands, there is always potential harm from a variety of entities, both internal and external and it takes the entire village remaining ever vigilant to observe and repel those dangers. A village understands the concept of WE over I. In a village, the elders are held in a position of respect, revered for their knowledge and experience. The elders understand their purpose is to instruct the young, thus ensuring that right knowledge is not forgotten and as a result, the village will continue to prosper.

There are those that will say that the concept of the village is “un-American”, that each person should lift themselves up by their own bootstraps. How do you do that when you have no boots? They will say that the village sounds a lot like communism or socialism. I respond, that there is a big difference between communism, or socialism and communalism.

We cannot remain slaves to media portrayal of who others say we are, to material self-interest, self destructive behavior, low self esteem, and fabricated religious doctrine. We must find the strength and commitment to overcome the indoctrination that has shackled our growth and progress as a people.

Educate yourself; don’t rely on another’s understanding

In closing, let me just say that we are the only hope for us. When has any outside entity ever come into the black community without some ulterior motive? How long will we place our hopes on our so-called leaders and self-centered politicians for viable solutions to our problems? How long will we continue to imitate a culture that is foreign to our very nature?

We were once a people in tune to the movement of the stars, with knowledge of the workings of the universe. We mastered mathematics, and the sciences, but most important of all….

WE KNEW GOD AND EMBRACED THE TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF SELF.

My only hope is that one day, we will expand our consciousness and manifest our understanding

It's time to begin THE MOVEMENT that will shape our Destiny!

ASE’

Change....Makes You Wanna Hustle

The only constant in life is CHANGE. In nature you must change,  as the environment changes, evolve or die, that is the reality. In the human environment the same law of nature applies.

People are often reluctant to change because they reach a certain comfort level in situations that are familiar. Whenever any outside stimulus invades that familiarity, there can be a sense of uneasiness or even panic. However, when you are comfortable there is no impetus for CHANGE.

Necessity is the “Mother” (birth place) of invention

There can be little doubt that the environment, known as America, is changing. Those who only seek to “capitalize” on the exploitation and disenfranchisement of others are bringing the catalysts for these changes to fruition.

We must understand that the prevailing system that rules this nation is Capitalism. Capitalism is a corporate based system whose only motive is profit.

This country's wealth was built on the exploitation of others. The generational wealth of this nation was built on slave labor. Now, with labor laws and unions, the capitalist find that their levels of profits are dwindling. So to circumvent that, they allow the influx of immigrants into the country that are willing to work outside of labor laws and for wages that will allow the capitalist to maintain a high level of profit.

Ask yourself; where do black people fit into this dynamic? We were once the ones that performed the task others didn’t want to do (asset). Now, there are others prepared to fulfill those positions. We later took on government-sponsored jobs. Over 70% of employed blacks are employed on some level by the government, Federal, State, County, Municipal, Military, etc. Now we see that the government is scaling back, and what group do you think will be most affected by this reduction in government based employment? What will happen when large numbers of our people rely on the government for their sustenance (liability)? Under capitalism assets are maintained and liability's cast aside.

The cities, (code word, urban areas), in this country are beginning to fail under the capitalistic system. There isn’t enough capital to sustain the level of profit for those who run the cities and deliver the services that the citizens have come to expect. You see, municipal employee's expect to be paid, not exploited. When faced with this dilemma the “city fathers”(capitalist) must decide, cut back on profits, or cut the basic services expected by its citizens. I don’t have to tell those of you who live, or work in the city what their decision will always be.

Understanding the situation, as it really exists, foreshadows the necessity for change. There is hope for our survival as a people, but we must be willing to evolve. We must be willing to leave our level of comfort behind and move forward.
 I know most people look at their lives and think, "I've got it pretty good, I got mine let everybody else get theirs". That type of thinking may last for awhile, but not in the long term.

No one is going to save us, we must save ourselves

 Knowing a situation is coming doesn’t have any affect if you don’t use knowledge of the situation to effect change. If you own a house and the weatherman (forecaster) tells you a hurricane is coming directly towards you, do you use that time to secure your survival, protecting yourself and those who depend on you, or do you ignore the warning, scoff at the warning and risk losing your home and the possible injury to yourself and your family? Any right thinking people would secure themselves and even if the weatherman was wrong, the changes you made wouldn't represent any real loss. In fact the changes would make you "battle tested" and well prepared for any future catastrophe.

Well there is an economic “hurricane” coming, the likes of which we have never seen before. We can secure ourselves by doing several things. We must start our own businesses and begin to provide jobs, instead of seeking them.
I offer some "statistics", don't just look over the numbers, think of the long term problems that will arise if they are not corrected.
The Median income by ethnic origin; (1)Asians, $55,000, (2)White, $53,000, (3)Hispanics, $33,000, (4)Blacks, only $19,400!
1 out every 10 Asians are in business, 1 out of every 34 Whites, 1
out of every 55 Hispanics, and get this...1 out of every 105 Blacks!

Less than 3% of the black population owns their own businesses.

Next we must embrace our Afrikan commonality and develop a “Village mentality” ,working toward the common good, realizing that our true strength is in our sheer numbers and our compassion towards each other. We are a village, 40 million strong, together we can affect change from within the capitalistic system, separately we have no power, and therefore we won’t be able to ensure our survival or effect change.

Imagine for one moment what a village of 40 million Afrikans of the same mind could accomplish. We could build our own food distribution centers, ensuring that no one goes hungry. We could purchase goods and services and determine the prices simply by the volume of those purchases (that’s what Walmart does). With a village of 40 million strong Afrikans we could build our own schools and cultural centers ensuring that our children would understand where they were going because they stand on the foundation of who they are. If we don't become a viable economic force our very existence is in doubt, or we could just rely on the benevolence of those in power and see how that works out.

 As a "village" our survival would be assured.

Remember, In nature, you evolve or die.

Choose life…Free your Afrikan Mind!

Ase’