What does it mean to be Black in America?

I never truly realized that some people really don't know... I mean lets look at this...what is the IMAGE of Black America? In my post entitled: The Correct Perspective: Part II - How do people view Islam?, I pointed out how people view Islam (for example) is based upon how people view Muslims. People view a religion, a country, a race, (and sometimes an ideal) by the people that represent it. This follows the definition of symbolism.

So, Who represents Black America?

Well, in any case, I do. You do. We all do. All those that claim to be Black, and some who don't. But who is it that most people see? As pointed out by Soledad O'Brien in the video below, Black America is unfairly embodied by crime, rap, and the Hollywood and political stars (the stellar people). She notes that the problem is for young black kids...they believe that what they have been shown is all that is open to them.




The Role Model

Kids deserve to know what is out there for them to achieve. They deserve the opportunity to achieve it. And they deserve to see people like them already achieving it.

And on the other side of the coin...People deserve to see the diversity of Black America. Black America is more than just crime, poverty, and rappers. We need more documentarys like 'Black in America'. We need more poets like Jon Goode, Basheer Jones, and Amir Sulaiman. We need more expression of the diverse Black America. We need more talk about our issues.

We need more Role Models. We need more black (male) teachers, doctors, lawyers. But we also need more software developers, physical therapists, consultants, and social workers. Those successful careers that aren't thought of right away, but lack real Black representation and publicity.

We need more religion and religious leaders. We need a new generation with a new mindset. We need productive leadership. And as my brother so humbly put it....We need a collective spirit. What happened to our collective spirit?