Metaphysical Dilemmas (Black Man, Woman & Child)

As a child my siblings and cousins would sometimes point out my darker skin tone when we got into arguments or fights.  They would yell out things like "shut up with your black self" or "You so black I can't see you". The funny thing is despite being called names, that stuff didn't bother me. I actually liked my skin tone and would let them know they were just jealous. 

Little did I know that this type of self hate was embedded in the historical artifacts that are me and you and you too. I did not know at the time who Jim Crow was or that there were laws/rules put into place to help keep black people separate within our own race. That if you were light you were alright, brown you could stick around, but if you were black you needed to get all the way back. There was no place for you in the world. 

As I grew up and began to learn more about myself, my family and my history; my eyes were opened and my awareness activated. It was brought to my attention that people who looked like me had been murdered, raped, starved and stripped of every right human beings should have. That people who looked like me couldn't vote or read at some point in history.  Nor could they use the same restrooms or shop in the same stores as white people. 

Equal educational opportunities were also scarce.  Historical cases like Brown vs. The Board of Education taught me about people like Ruby Bridges, who was the first African-American child to attend an all-white public elementary school in the American South and born the same year of the case. There is so much more history where this comes from and some negative views about black people stem from the hate that is America. 

The truth is though, Black people are just as human as any other group of people no matter the shade. We are strong and resilient and creative. Whether dark as midnight, brown as cocoa or light as the sun. We are tough and intelligent and full of soul. I have learned over the years that no matter what people say about people who look like me or how they feel, being black in NOT a dilemma at all. Being black is a blessing. I am proud of who I am and would not change it for anything in the world. This melanin, this soul, this uniqueness is everything! This one is for the culture 🖤