Tag: #blackandwhite

THE DAY OF RECKONING: WILL BLACK PEOPLE EVER GET TO A PLACE PEACE AND PROSPERITY

african american guy, african american man, black guy

“Eventually one day.”

a rough history

Throughout history, the Black population has been a group that has taken a hard punch. But will there ever come a time where it does not exist? Will this large time period 500 years from now, 1,000 years from now be something we look back on and say to ourselves, “How did our ancestors get through it all?” Because I am a strong person, but there are limits to everybody. So what, if any, are the steps we must take within our own community to move past the point of discrimination? Because we are not going to get this entire coming of the minds from another group. So how do we move on going into the future?

shift perception

The idea and expectations for the community must be directed into another path. We are always allowing ourselves to be seen through the lens of another group. Develop a new way of style, talk, viewpoint, that is indicative of who we are. Because no other group has any vested interest in us doing anything with our lives. So the first step is radiating what is special and internal outward about yourself.Once the perception of self changes it is then on to other changes.

tap into skills

When you look at sports and entertainment, the highest ranked people are generally Black people. But what about other areas of interest. What about the Lebron James of the tech industry or the Beyonce of the medical field. We don’t have any global trotters at this moment. We need individuals that are the thinkers in various fields of study. These are the people that impact the next generation like the athletes and entertainers. But the learned of a group of people must stand an express themselves for their natural abilities.

lose the fear

We love to stand out, but fear being free. But as Black people, fear and success can’t occupy the same space. There must be a fearless vigilance for our group. Stand up proud to be smart, intelligent, and productive. And push heavy for what is yours. And when people call you arrogant, go harder. Enough of the days when you refuse to raise your hand in class so as to not appear like a know it all, but also afraid to be wrong. We have to stand and show out; in the most positive way.

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RACIAL DISCOMFORT: WHY ARE BLACK AND WHITE PEOPLE SO OFFSET IN EACH OTHER’S COMMUNITIES

Image result for black and white people

“Still discomfort after so much time.”

not your community

I live in Harlem, NYC, and I can tell you first hand there is a discomfort and a heightened awareness when White people are in the presence of Black people. But that awareness increases with us in predominantly White environments as well. How does two groups who have been in a country for so long still feel such discomfort around each other? Now, you can point to the idea that most people feel more comfortable around people that look like them than those that are different. But there is real social construct to the American landscape.

segregation alive and well

Like I said earlier, I live in NYC, a city with an array of diversity. And if you are someone not a fan of diversity, you are going to be miserable here. Because you are constantly in a position to have to deal with someone different than yourself. But I am from the Midwest, and you really don’t have to deal with too many people that don’t look like you. So the tolerance is a lot lower elsewhere in America. So for the most part the vast majority of your daily life is communicating with your own group for the rest of your life. From your school life, to social life, to dating, to what neighborhood you raise children within.

everything isn’t bigotry

Wanting to live around that share the same culture as you is not all hatred. Everything has to be looked at in context. But in a society where context is slowly going away, saying anything that is not the status quo can land you into trouble. But who decided being comfortable was bad. Like I said, context, if you are forcing someone from a neighborhood because ethnicity, now you’re in a really weird position. But discomfort will always exist in America because of the social construction.

My Personal Website: www.faheemjackson.squarespace.com

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My Personal Website: www.faheemjackson.squarespace.com

Instagram Me: @theefaheemjackson

Twitter Me: @2320howe

Medium.com/@faheemjackson

Tumblr Me: @fjackson44

UNAPOLOGETICALLY BLACK: WHAT DOES THE WORD TRULY MEAN

Woman in Brown and Gray T-shirt Sitting on Brown Wooden Table

“Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud.”

me being me

The historical landscape of Black people in america has taken on so many faces over time. But there was one (face) that popped up in the 1960’s with a phrase coined by singer James Brown, “Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud.” And sense then Black people have found means of making ourselves stand out in a positive manner. Well, why did that term come to be in America? When that song was written, we are talking the height of the Civil Rights Movement. So as a means to uplift the people going through social strife in this country, James Brown came out with this song.

why unapologetic

The term “Unapologetically Black” is used because anytime we show any sense of pride in ourselves it is shot down. No one seems to come out of the wood-work when it’s negative. Meaning, inner cities of high crime, single parent households, and poverty exist, yet no one has a plan or solution to do anything. Black people galvanize to fix the issue, and we are immediately labeled as being separate. Or there is a way to say poverty is not a Black issue it’s an issue of everyone, so as to deflect from the group that has the highest crime and poverty in America. It’s a reason to not have to address the issue in the community. Or drugs is not a Black problem, it’s everyone’s problem, meanwhile narcotics is rampant in Black communities. So when we create an agenda geared toward the community, it’s us not being for the country, yet if we don’t try to fix the problem, who will.

where is it coming from

We hear the naysayers, but who are they really? Because if you look at the Black community, the opposite of us has been White America. Meaning, who has been on the other end of Black criticism; White America? Who have we had our strife with throughout history, White America? But let’s put this into its proper context  and perspective when we say White America. Because the majority of White people could care less about Black people coming into communities cleaning up the negative aspects of the community. White America could care less about Black people taking pride in their appearance, their mind-frame, and/or their financial conditions. But the face has long been White, which is something that creates the disconnect. Our vague existence in America keeps us in constant strife with “White America” but who really? “White America” is very vague, but for so long, and even today a White face is connected. And it’s the social construct of Black and White that creates the constant issues.

trek along

There is never a day you should sacrifice yourself for the comfort of another person. If you go to work, raise your family, contribute to society, where is the need to be apologetic in the first place. Live, and if your hue and your existence is too much for another person it’s their problem. I never say, “Unapologetically Black,” because even having to say it means you’re trying to prove a point to a person not worth proving the point to. Live, grow, and prosper; leave the naysayers behind.

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FITTING IN: WHAT IT’S LIKE AS A BLACK PERSON EXISTING IN A NON BLACK ENVIRONMENT

Five Person Holding Hands Together

“Trying to feel welcome.”

new face new challenge

Growing up, I have always been one of the only African American students in my class and school. And for me, I didn’t know anything else. That was until I came back to my community. And as you get older, you’re turned on to the societal issues. And that’s when you become aware of your surroundings. Being a kid, you’re a kid with other kids. But you will always be reminded somehow of the society where you live. But hwy, why would society remind a child of something so deep at such a young age?

cultural shift

The reason for one of the discomforts is the idea that once you step into someone else’s domain, you are quickly inundated with a different way of life. Not better, just a drastic shift: the food, the music, all the way down to the infliction in the voice. So now you feel like you’re living in two worlds. For me growing up, I have always loved a certain type of dress, that no pays pays attention to in way arena that catches attention in another. So that is what I mean by living in two worlds. But, what are the up sides if any?

they know you, you know them

For me growing up in a community of Black people, but a school  of mostly White, you’re coming into a space, where you are this group’s first interaction with anyone from your community. So they are learning something about you and you are learning something about them. And learning about someone outside of yourself is the first step in understanding people you might not otherwise have a daily interaction with. You learn their likes and dislikes, but also a cultural understanding for why someone is who they are in life. But all of this is contingent on the person you’re getting to know who is able to converse with you on a deeper level of understanding.

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TURNING THE TIDES: WHY BLACK AMERICA HAVE NEVER TURNED AGAINST THE US LIKE RADICALS FROM OVERSEAS

Group of Women and Men Standing on Gray and White Concrete Floor

“Not as angry as some may think.”

we have never

In the time since Black people have been in America, those who know best have had understand and were able to bare witness to some scary history. From slavery through the century of Jim Crow, and after throughout America with isolated incidents. But through everything, there has never been a violent response like that of someone from overseas. And what I mean is that you have never seen a response like a 9/11 from the Black community. So why are the men and women in the Middle East so turned up? Because what America has done to them is nothing compared to our relationship. And yet, people outside the country get more enraged.

simpler than you think

The main reason we have never struck America in terrorist fashion is because like a lot of Americans, most people in the Black community want to work and go home. It’s not on the mind of the community on a daily basis as to how to make America pay on a terrorism level. The daily thinking that must be conducted takes away from a normal functioning existence. Because for example, run this experiment. Get as mad as you possible can, doesn’t even matter about what. Make up a scenario in your head, then ponder over it for the never few hours. You’ll wish you have never gotten mad once the experiment is over. It’s because to get mad and stay mad is a very large undertaking. So to commit to an act of terrorism, you’re pass the point of existing. And now you have hit the uncharted territory of extreme mental illness.

the thought has crossed the mind

The anger is there, the rage is there, but the action is not. Trust and believe, even our civil rights leaders have wanted to take it to another level. Especially during their time period, the system aligned itself with the struggle. So fighting the system isn’t going to work through violence because the government has a bigger weapon than the citizens. So having to resort to the nonviolent approach has been a decision we were forced to make. And as a human, we all have a limit, but when forced to keep that emotion bottled and redirected is tougher. But self-preservation kicks in and people tend to not react out of emotion. Because the whole goal of Black people for a long period of time is to survive the encounter.

change in times

Even with the rough history, things have gotten better throughout time. Is the life perfect, far from it. But the Declaration of Independence states, “In an effort to create more perfect union.” Key phrase, “a more perfect union.” All that simply means is better than the prior. And with each passing decade as long as the current is better than the prior, then we as a country are doing better.

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RECONCILIATION: WILL THE BLACK AND WHITE COMMUNITIES EVER END THE TENSION

Photo of Four Persons Uniting Hands

“Ease the tension.”

a history of tension

In the United States over the past few centuries the tensions between the White and Black population has gotten better, but still remain a focal point of discussion in America. And now with the introduction of other groups into the mix like the Hispanic and Middle Eastern community, the dynamics just became more complicated. But over the recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of racially motivated problems across the country. Yet the racial relationship between Black and White is the deepest. So how does it end? Will it ever end? Are these one of those things that just go on and on forever, just taking on different dynamics?

steps forward

We like to think that the problems are so far behind us, but they are still relevant. So what are the ways that can change people’s mind-frames on race relations? And the biggest reason why there is a sharp incline is economics. When the chips are down and the stakes high, people start to look for indicators of their economic strife. And no one likes to think that it’s themselves. So we look at our current surrounding and people that look like us, then at others that look different from us. If there is enough people who look different from us with more than we have, that is an easy target for what my problems could be linked to.

Another step in seeing the problem through is for people to actually be honest and say they harbor feelings if ill will toward others different from themselves. No one likes to think of themselves as being racist, but will openly do things that are racist. And will rationalize why it’s not racism.

a future perspective

Let’s say 1,000 years from now, when we look back in history and observe America as a nation. Will we think to ourselves, wow, people actually fought about color. It will seem so primitive. Who knows, America might not even be a country at that point. What’s interesting is that we will have video footage of today, and even the past. Which will took even more odd to a future generation. But my thing about us today is that do we even care. I don’t think people in their daily lives think about how our future descendants will perceive us. Because 1,000 years from now is so insignificant to people’s current problems.

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THE BLACK VOTE: WHY ARE WE AS BLACK PEOPLE NOT REPUBLICAN

White House

“Being BLACK voting RED.”

voting red

For a very long time, the African American population chose to vote red in this country. And as time progressed the flip to the Republican Party took hold. And now, you’re seen as some sort of outsider when you choose to vote red instead of blue. And my thing is this, “Are we bound to one party, or can we be bipartisan?” Because I personally see nothing wrong with a Black Republican. But for some reason, we are always expected to be on the side of the Democrats. Is there something deeper to this than a party?

recent history

In recent history, at least in my time on Earth, the Republicans have been seen as the party for the wealthy. And notice I said seen and not they are the party for the wealthy. Because the majority of Republicans are middle class citizens. And when you observe the landscape of the Black community, it has been plagued by poverty. So this “idea” that Republicans only care about money; this ideology that they have no real regard for those at the bottom keeps us from voting red. Also with the introduction of the current president, there is a racial undertone to the party now.

we are on the right

You would think that just because we vote Democrat we are a Liberal group of people. Not true, to be honest Black People quite the opposite. At times even more so than White Americans. But we never check red on the ballot for candidates. That does not mean we would never. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City was well-received by a Black community. Because in reality, the vast majority of the community care about the same principles as the past generation. Only problem is that no Republican has really put into effect, or even gave us the feeling of real changes in government. Notice I said “feeling” of change in government. The sentiment we hold inside is that not much as changed, even though it has. And the Republican that can articulate that, may very well pick up America’s second biggest base in the country.

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