tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6689654975245458947.post6491713728534432719..comments2023-07-16T03:58:42.088-07:00Comments on Acts of Faith In Love and Life: African-American, Black or Other: Who Are We?Faith at Acts of Faith Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02150553143062604249noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6689654975245458947.post-72450146315185324872009-05-10T01:39:00.000-07:002009-05-10T01:39:00.000-07:00Khadija: Thank you for having the clarity to get u...Khadija: Thank you for having the clarity to get us to focus on specifics. I'd been thinking about the empowerment aspects we're working towards for months but felt something wasn't quite connecting and I couldn't figure out what it was. I'm looking forward to seeing a shift in consciousness for many of us!!<br /><br />Ensayn1: Welcome and thanks for your input. I would like to see a united coalition amongst all Blacks but not without acknowledging our particular contributions. The sense of shame many African-Americans feel is palpable and it's impeding a lot of progress that could be made. Regardless of historical contributions, geography and other factors there has to be an internal change to create an external one. Since we see how poorly the majority of Blacks are doing it's a necessary one.Faith at Acts of Faith Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150553143062604249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6689654975245458947.post-33337413624723486022009-05-06T18:06:00.000-07:002009-05-06T18:06:00.000-07:00Wow, this is a serious post that explores quite a ...Wow, this is a serious post that explores quite a bit of information on our (we Black people that are of generations born here in the States)ethnic backgrounds. We people of the western hemisphere are truly of a varied ethnicity. I have read that the Americas were once called Amexem, with Mexico still carrying the name. Actually, Mexico literally means the Mixing place found in the root Mex. <br />So, I truly agree that finding our truest pedigree would be most difficult, not impossible, but difficult, thus for me I will continue to call myself Black without hesitation.<br /><br />I also believe we should start approaching our history in the Americas from a point of empowerment. For example, we MUST get out of the habit of saying that "they brought us here in chains aboard slave ships..." This minimizes the actual fact that we, Black people, have been here in the Americas since the first waves of migration from Africa 100,000 years ago. Saying they brougt us here gives the European waaaay too much credit for being able to take us from Africa in their powerful ships(my sarcasm) We made more excursions 10,000 years ago and more recently beginning 2000 years before the birth of Jesus all the way up until the 1300s. African people have continued to come here to the Americas for thousands of years and some believe are actually the indigenous population of the Americas. Clyde A. Wynters has documented these migrations amoung others, including Dr. Ivan Van Sertima. Also, in the book The Only Land They Knew, the author shows that 97% of the people enslaved in what is now called the U.S. were the indigenous population and 95% in the Caribbean were indigenous population. People that we would discribe as Black people today. <br /><br />This enslavement of the Black population of the Americas follows the long protracted war between the Castillians and the Moors and thus made us prisoners of war, forced into slavery rather than millions of Africans forced or sold to become slaves in the Americas. <br />The issue of Caribbean vs. Africans vs. Black Amreicans truly falls on those with historical shortcomings and seem to battle using culture as a weapon only because they have bought into the "otherness" as you put it set out by the controling interest. For example, all this rivalry between the Black people from the Caribbean and Black Americans is a contrived battle started by someone that doesn't have our interest at hand. This rivalry didn't exist in years past. The people that conspired to take the famous Plessy vs. Furguson case from New Orleans, LA to the U.S. Supreme court were a mix of free, wealthy Black Americans, free wealthy Black Haitians and free Black Cubans. So it appears to me that the people that control America never wanted to see this type of interactions among Black people again, they planted the Willie Lynch seed and many of us bought it. Sadly.Amentahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13876681992868014576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6689654975245458947.post-89753149939633098732009-05-06T17:29:00.000-07:002009-05-06T17:29:00.000-07:00Faith,
I can't thank you enough for hosting these...Faith,<br /><br />I can't thank you enough for hosting these recent conversations. Baraka Allahu feek! [<EM>"May God bless you!"</EM>]This is the time when it all comes together; and the time when we make <STRONG>sustainable</STRONG> advances that lead to <STRONG>ENDURING</STRONG> victories! Thank you so much for helping to move us forward!<br /><br />Peace, blessings and solidarity.Khadijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07732325133964607276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6689654975245458947.post-38259712242521786312009-05-06T11:26:00.000-07:002009-05-06T11:26:00.000-07:00I just wanted to add that as we as we acknowledge ...I just wanted to add that as we as we acknowledge our differences but come together for common interests those that have class or ethnic "privileges" should also be able to accept that they're coming to table with pockets that are not empty. <br /><br />When we're working on race-based privilege we ask whites to acknowledge their historical and current advantages if they are going to be true allies of an anti-racist movement. We are also looking to level the playing field.<br /><br />The same thing occurs between women who are seeking gender equality. As it should be with "Blacks" "African-Americans" and "Others".Faith at Acts of Faith Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150553143062604249noreply@blogger.com