Who Am I?

One topic that continues to be an issue of relevance in America is how Americans of color should be addressed. The option of calling them Colored is out of the question because of the negative connotations that are brought up from its use historically. So are they African Americans or black people? The resolve seems to always be that each classification is preferred about equally among all. The African American classification is popularly accepted as the most politically correct. However, the problem with its use is the assumption that follows which implies that African American are derived directly from the continent of Africa. That assumption fails to recognize those Americans who are people of color, but derived directly from Caribbean or middle eastern nation rather that Africa. The black classification is used in the place of "African American" because it is most inclusive, if nothing else. For example, President Barack Obama is America's "first black president" despite the fact that he is interracial. Aside from perhaps being overly generalized, "black" would seem to be the best option, but Ossie Davis thickens the plot in his analysis of the use of the word "black" in his speech "The English Language is My Enemy". He submits that using "black" to address a person of color should be considered an insult. He substantiates his submission with the by referring to Roget's Thesaurus of the English Language and the entries found within pertaining to "blackness". In it "blackness" has one hundred and twenty synonyms, and not one of them have any positive connotations; not even mildly. Sixty of those synonyms are distinctly negative like evil, wicked, and dismal. But those do not even include the synonyms that directly relate to race like Negro and nigger. Davis suggests that thought is simply sub-vocal speech, which implies that word are still required for thinking whether or not they're physically verbalized. In that sense words are given great importance. For instance, once children of color are taught they're "black" and then learn the meaning they are in a sense putting themselves down each time they identify with their blackness. Now that's a sentiment to make one ponder heavily. Or better yet, the confusion that this issue generates makes one desire a post-racial America more than ever.

Convocation

I thought it was amazing that Bermuda Premier Ewart F. Brown came to help welcome the class of 2013 in the 2009 Opening Convocation. Initially I was honored by his presence. Unforturnately, I was horribly tired from study all night the previous night, and only caught the speech in bits and pieces. I wish Premier Brown was around to give me his speech when I was procrastinating earlier in the day. However on a more serious note, my attendance at the Convocation wasn't all for naught. I too stepped away from Cramton Auditorium inspired!
It was brought to my attention that Premier Brown is a Howard alumnus; a title that I one day aspire to attain. I thought to myself "I'm in the same position Premier Brown had been in several years before. Why can't I one day be in the position he's in now?" I left the Convocation slighlty embarassed that I'd fallen asleep, but for the most part, I was in awe of the greatness and excellence that is reared from this illustrious university. So in closing I'd like to leave with my audience the words of Howard University's alma mater as it's perfectly appropriate for describing my sentiment immediately following the Convocation:
"Reared against the eastern sky
Proudly there on hilltop high,
Far above the lake so blue
Stands old Howard firm and true.
There she stands for truth and right,
Sending forth her rays of light,
Clad in robes of majesty;
O Howard, we sing of thee.
Be thou still our guide and stay
Leading us from day to day;
Make us true and leal and strong,
Ever bold to battle wrong.
When from thee we’ve gone away,
May we strive for thee each day
As we sail life’s rugged sea,
O Howard, we’ll sing of thee!"

Pan-Africanism or Not?

Two selections from our Revelations book, "Pan-Africanism" and "Never African Again", strike an intriguing argument that is significant in the black community. How should blacks in America be identified? Should they be "negro", "African American", just plain old "black"? In addition Pan-Africanism calls for all members of the African Diaspora to unite and suggests that somehow the problems blacks face like prejudice and discrimination would disappear if blacks return to African from which they came. The opposition suggest that black Americans should limit their ties with Africa as it isn't necessarily a direct influence on their cultural experience. It seems regressive to resort back to the essence of African rhythm by sitting around pummeling primitive drums when one can simply download the sounds. That's a humorous anology, but it makes no sense to return to Africa now that blacks have stamped their footprint on American culture. It's also foolish to believe that Africa isn't suffering from issues similar to the issues in America like poverty and prejudice; or worse like genocide and apartheid. My point of view is somewhere between the two. It's regressive to resort to Pan-Africanism whole-heartedly, but it's just as regressive to forget where one comes from and lose culture.

Multiculturalism in America?

"Multiculturalism" is both the ying and the yang of America's socioeconomic fabric. On one hand, multiculturalism is responsible for country's cultural superiority, as it's renowned for being a "melting pot" of various cultures, races, and religions alike. Multiculturalism, despite some questionable means (i.e. slavery etc.), is also responsible for much the country's economic advancement throughout the years. On the other hand, multiculturalism is accountable for the social divide, and the cultural conflict among and within the races that compose nation as well. It's slightly unfathomable, but multiculturalism, a concept that exudes a gay, blitheful, "We Are the World" kind of persona that resembles the "It's a Small World" ride at Disney World also has its dark side. Ishmail Reed, distinguished novelist and essayist, gave in an essay of his about multiculturalism in America an example of its extent in the form of a scenario: a Chinese woman at the annual Lower East Side Jewish Festival eating a slice of pizza in front of Ty Thuan Duc's Vietnamese grocery store. One may say that, that scenario is a tribute to America's tremendous diversity, but think for a second of the whether or not that diversity is an element of benefit or detriment to culture. On the one hand, the mixng of cultures creates new culture; the cultures from which America's future leaders will come. However, on the other hand, many who assimilate to the new cultures founded in America tend to lose their own.

Is America Really a Post-Racial Society? by Kellan Turner

Since this year's election of President Barack Obama it's been much media speculation about a "post-racial America", however society and its behavior as of now seems to suggest just the opposite. To decificer whether or not a America has reached this alleged "post-racial" status, one must first grasp its definition and what all it entails. The most common definition seems to be "...a society in which race is no longer important or significant", as Adrienne Christina Miles from suite101.com so eloquently stated (http://racism-politics.suite101.com/article.cfm/postracialism_in_america). Okay, eloquent is probably not be the best way to describe her definition, but there arent many eloquent ways to describe such a new and perhaps premature and underdeveloped concept. One who suggests the existence of a post-racial America does not necessarily deny the existence racism but rather ignores the significance of racial issues and their impact on society. The asininity of that statement should shed some light on the reason for all of the confusion concerning a post-racial America. Uzodinma Iweala put it perfectly in her article on latimes.com. She said "It's as if we think that not speaking about race is the equivalent of making progress on race issues" (http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jan/23/opinion/oe-iweala23). She's right, however the "we" that she's describing should know that they're promoting ignorance by disguising the non-discussion of racial issues as the insignificance and even nonexistence of racial issues. That ignorance, if nothing else, will be the one major obstacle in the way of America truly reaching its post-racial status as a society. An example of that ignorance could be Michael Steele, the Chairman of the Republican Committee's visit to Howard University's Blackburn Center for a townhall meeting concerning health care on September 1st. According to the article about his visit in Howard's daily Hilltop publication, Steele reception was a warm one despite political beliefs he owns that may have conflicted with those of the audience, but it seemed as if he did not reciprocate the warmth. He approached the town hall meeting with the stereotypical arrogance that's synonomous with most Republican's of stature and subconciously offended much of his audience with the content of his speech. Professor Nenanji Jackson of Howard University who attended the townhall meeting commented in The Hilltop, "...He did not know his audience at all. This is Howard University, the most affluent educated black population in the country... He had the nerve to come here with a theme of defying the odds. These students defied the odds before even came to Howard. Was this the same speech he gave to Harvard students? He obviously does not see Howard students as future leaders of America because he did not talk to them as if they were on the level of leadership and I was offended by that." Michael Steele, who graduated from the Johns Hopkins University, never took the time to realize the significance of his audience that Professor Jackson was referring to; probably because his ignorance of racial issues did not permit it. The resolve of this blog is that currently there is no such thing as a post-racial America. This is not because a post-racial America is preposterous. It can be be achieved, but if it keeps being proclaimed prematurely society will become more and more clouded. That ignorance-induced confusion causes racial tension and creates racial issues that will further prolong the arrival of the true post-racial American society that the media constantly alleges.