By SheelaR

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with how other blacks view and identify themselves, as it relates to race. When there are discussions about it on social media, I’m always paying very close attention. It’s fascinating. I didn’t know the extent that some blacks will go to distance themselves from their blackness. It’s shocking. Should race matter in America the mixing bowl? Yes it should.

I don’t know an exact number, but I would venture to guess that most but not all blacks in America have a shared history of slavery. There is nothing shameful about being black or being the byproduct of slavery. It is not your shame to bear. We’re all “mixed,” some of us more than others, so when I see someone pulling the “I’m not really black” card, I go into attack mode. If you’re not caucasian or mongoloid, you’re negroid. Albeit it a watered down version, but that’s your reality. Take ownership not prejudice in it…it is what it is.

Self-hate is destructive and ugly. You can’t fight for equality if you deny that inequality exist. What LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling has taught us is, race does matter and for some people, that’s all you are, the color of your skin. It matters to all the people in the world that would seek to oppress and deny you your rights based on it. Blacks have become obsessed with material wealth as a way to erase what they think are the invisible color lines. Your education and socio economic status will not shield you from realities of racism, just ask Magic Johnson.

With ownership, comes pride. Take pride in your blackness, and everything else will follow.

“Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana