BLACK CULTURE: SHE IS
Brandy has this song called, “I wanna be down”
It’s one of those songs that you can’t read the title without singing the the song in your head.
Brandy says:
I wanna be down
With what you’re going through
I wanna be down
I wanna be down with you
When I think of Black Culture it’s like this. It’s so inviting it makes you wanna be down, you wanna know, you wanna be connected.
That is how Black Culture will always influence society.
For me, it’s the hospitality of Black Culture that goes unmatched.
Living in a predominately white neighborhood, I forget how calming, loving, and welcoming it is to see Black people in public spaces.
Recently, I traveled to Dallas for my birthday. And I’m telling you, every Black person I saw greeted me with a smile, started talking about the most random things.
They would strike up conversation like we have known each other for years, and we are just now catching up.
Black Culture is not exclusive; it’s so inviting.
Black culture continues to influence so much in society: fashion, music, politics, and more.
Yet we are typically seen as a threat.
Something or someone to be feared.
If we are honest, we, as Black people, have to work hard to NOT internalize this fear of our own people.
This fear of OUR own self-hood.
This fear exists in every fabric of our social system in the US.
People fear us, people check on us, people assume we are less than or have less than what we have.
American culture often does not see us as part of American culture, but more separate.
ESPECIALLY when we are being us. Laughing— loudly, loving passionately, and listening to music in public. And just living our best life despite the chaos around us.
This is Black Culture.
She thrives; she doesn’t just survive harsh environments.
She invents/reinvents, rediscovers, dismantles, and fights.
I think she is learning to rest.
I see her, Black culture finding joy outside of the grind of hard work.
I see her, Black Culture emphasizing family, gentle parenting, deep connection, and vulnerability when it’s safe.
I see Black Culture in all of its diversity in thought, religion, identity, and ability.
I see her, Black Culture being more than just STRONG… I see her learning what it means to rest, reset, and start again.
I see Black Culture, determined to RISE, as Maya Angelou said; determined to DREAM like Martin Luther King; determined to LOVE like bell hooks mentioned.
A love that ms.hooks taught us, requires us to love our own damn self.
To see that true love teaches me / us to love ourselves more because of how well others have loved us in return…
I see her… I see Black Culture thriving, healing, and exploring.
I see her reclaiming herself again and again in a world that tries to steal everything from her.
I see Black culture saying: You can be down but you must
RISE to the occasion when injustice strikes
DREAM a reality of equity and make things right
LOVE us PERIODT
You can be down.
By Joi McGowan
