Years ago, I learned the truth about my actual origin of birth. I spent a lifetime of having questions and internal conflict. It's only been within the last few years that I've been able to reconcile everything and begin to forge healthy relationships that build on that history,
One of the lasting after effects of this was a heightened need to learn the true history of not only my family, but the true history of Black people in America as well. While one was hidden simply because of my not knowing, the other was hidden as a means of deception and manipulation.
American text books, from the time I was a kid to even now, simply gloss over Black history in this country and as a result, have lead generations of children of all races to believe that our history begins with slavery. For some, even that nugget of knowledge is dangerous because of their concerted efforts to either sugar coat it by claiming that "slavery wasn't all that bad" or eliminate any references to it altogether. What these delusional idiots fail to realize is that what they've done over time is dangerous not only to our children, but to theirs as well. And we wonder why America is getting its ass kicked academically.
During my ongoing search for facts, I ran across a brilliant documentary called "Hidden Colors". It discusses some of that very history I've been searching for and it exposes the wide spread deception perpetrated by Whites to change that history.
One of the most troubling and enlightening pieces was about the true image of Jesus Christ. According to this research which also supports the actual description of Christ in the Bible, the earliest images of Jesus were those of a dark skinned man. For years, there were churches that displayed that image or a variation thereof. The documentary explores how that image was deliberately changed to long - haired Eurocentric figure we see today. The irony of this is that while the bible eludes to Him possibly being of African descent, there is absolutely no reference to his depiction in America.
I was asked "what difference does it make ?" by someone who was offended by my even pointing it out. My response is that it makes a huge difference especially when you consider how this deception was used against kidnapped slaves and subsequently, one of the "truths" adopted by their descendants. Blacks were indoctrinated to believe that since "Jesus was White" that those that looked like him were closer to God, when by virtue of the very deception, they were anything but Godly. Another puzzling irony is that this false image is still proudly displayed in many Black churches despite what's written in the Bible.
Again, what difference does it make ? Plenty. It speaks to the very deception generations of Blacks have lived with since we were brought here. It speaks to our miseducation. It speaks to the countless images of blonde hair and blue eyes being held as the standard of beauty. It speaks to the continued deliberate misrepresentation of the images of Blacks and ultimately, it speaks to our overall self - image, self - esteem and self - hatred.
In 1939, Dr. Kenneth Clark and his wife , Mamie conducted what is known as "The Doll Test". School aged children between the ages of 6 and 9 were asked to choose between a Black doll and a White one based on their answers to certain questions. These were the questions that were asked:
One of the lasting after effects of this was a heightened need to learn the true history of not only my family, but the true history of Black people in America as well. While one was hidden simply because of my not knowing, the other was hidden as a means of deception and manipulation.
American text books, from the time I was a kid to even now, simply gloss over Black history in this country and as a result, have lead generations of children of all races to believe that our history begins with slavery. For some, even that nugget of knowledge is dangerous because of their concerted efforts to either sugar coat it by claiming that "slavery wasn't all that bad" or eliminate any references to it altogether. What these delusional idiots fail to realize is that what they've done over time is dangerous not only to our children, but to theirs as well. And we wonder why America is getting its ass kicked academically.
During my ongoing search for facts, I ran across a brilliant documentary called "Hidden Colors". It discusses some of that very history I've been searching for and it exposes the wide spread deception perpetrated by Whites to change that history.
One of the most troubling and enlightening pieces was about the true image of Jesus Christ. According to this research which also supports the actual description of Christ in the Bible, the earliest images of Jesus were those of a dark skinned man. For years, there were churches that displayed that image or a variation thereof. The documentary explores how that image was deliberately changed to long - haired Eurocentric figure we see today. The irony of this is that while the bible eludes to Him possibly being of African descent, there is absolutely no reference to his depiction in America.
I was asked "what difference does it make ?" by someone who was offended by my even pointing it out. My response is that it makes a huge difference especially when you consider how this deception was used against kidnapped slaves and subsequently, one of the "truths" adopted by their descendants. Blacks were indoctrinated to believe that since "Jesus was White" that those that looked like him were closer to God, when by virtue of the very deception, they were anything but Godly. Another puzzling irony is that this false image is still proudly displayed in many Black churches despite what's written in the Bible.
Again, what difference does it make ? Plenty. It speaks to the very deception generations of Blacks have lived with since we were brought here. It speaks to our miseducation. It speaks to the countless images of blonde hair and blue eyes being held as the standard of beauty. It speaks to the continued deliberate misrepresentation of the images of Blacks and ultimately, it speaks to our overall self - image, self - esteem and self - hatred.
In 1939, Dr. Kenneth Clark and his wife , Mamie conducted what is known as "The Doll Test". School aged children between the ages of 6 and 9 were asked to choose between a Black doll and a White one based on their answers to certain questions. These were the questions that were asked:
- Show me the doll that you like best or that you’d like to play with,”
- “Show me the doll that is the ‘nice’ doll,”
- “Show me the doll that looks ‘bad’,”
- “Give me the doll that looks like a white child,”
- “Give me the doll that looks like a coloured child,”
- “Give me the doll that looks like a Negro child,”
- “Give me the doll that looks like you.”
Most children picked the Black doll as the "bad" one and some 44% of them picked the White doll as having "looked like them". The findings of this study were used as evidence in the "Brown Vs. Board Of Education" Supreme Court case, and as a result, segregation in the classroom was deemed illegal.
Progress right ? In 2005, film maker, Kiri Davis repeated the experiment as part of her film, "A Girl Like Me". 71% of the 21 kids she sampled picked the White doll as the "nice" one. ABC's "Good Morning America" repeated the test in 2009. They asked 19 Black kids which doll looked like them. 88% of them picked the Black one. However, when asked which one was the pretty doll, all of the boys said "both", but 47% of the Black girls picked the White doll. So let me ask you, what do you think the most likely effect would be on a person who's been feed the "Black is bad/White is good" paradigm for most of their life ? it's usually one of two possibilities. You have a Black child that either hates himself or hates Whites.
There were also studies done in the mid 70's that showed that Black children became more aware of the negative images of Blacks, but as they got older, tended not to internalize them. Chances are that, like me, some of them were exposed to the "Black Is Beautiful" and "Black Power" movements that fought to combat those images being forced upon us. The problem with fighting the negative images of Blacks is that there are those that perceive that as somehow being "anti - White". Sadly, we're still dealing with the problem of self - hatred and the root causes of it.
When I spell these things out, it's an affront to some Whites because it goes against everything they've been lead to believe about themselves and this country. The effect that the "Black is bad/White is good" paradigm had on them is the opposite. Higher self - esteem and in quite a few cases, justification to hate Blacks, or at the very least, an indifference to their plight. Now I have to make clear, as I always do, that while this may not be true of individual Whites, it has been shown to be the case as a society.
One of the questions I see quite often is "Why can't you just get over it ?" It comes from a delusional belief that racism is a thing of the past and everything is equal. However, because of a lack of understanding or willful ignorance, the same ones asking ignore the fact that racism is still a reality in 2013. The typical response is "well, there's nothing you can do about it", as if we as Black people are merely supposed to "stay in our place" and deal with the abuse. Then are those that are stupid enough to actually say that "talking about it only makes it worse". Really ? For whom ? The ones made uncomfortable by the conversation or the ones being subjected to it ?
"What about Black on Black crime ?" is another chestnut people like to drag out. My reply is usually "What about White on White crime ?". However, for the sake of this narrative, I'll offer this explanation. American Slavery began a cycle of abuse that's been handed down for generations. It's common knowledge that those that have been abused will most likely become abusers. The easiest victims to abuse are those in the same situation as themselves. The problem in breaking that cycle is the original abuse has yet to really be addressed. More self - hatred.
Comedian, D.L. Hughley has a brilliant comedy special out called "The Endangered List" where he documents his efforts to have Black men added as an endangered species. He cited the fact that in 2013, there are more Black men in prison than there were in slavery. Gang violence and the inport of drugs. Black unemployment is close to 20%. Fewer Black families are intact in impoverished areas and what's been called "environmental racism", in which businesses that are counter to the health of the community are forced there. In a conversation with an EPA official, these factors would qualify an animal to be added to the list. While this purely a comedic effort, there were serious truths that were exposed. Black men are the only ones that are complicit in their own demise and they are extremely profitable for the private prison industry. In a dramatic illustration of this point, Hughley talked with two gangbangers about this and it didn't sit too well with them. He then went on to actually buy the two shares of stock in the biggest private prison company. He then told them that they now own a piece of the company that makes money from putting them in jail and that they were responsible for the profits.
"Why can't Black people get it together and clean up their own communities ?" is a question that some legitimately ask and others ask as a means of diverting from talking about the culpability White America has in these problems. For the record, there are scores of Blacks working extremely hard to clean up our communities and they do it without a whole lot of help. Millions of kids do extremely well despite their circumstances, but millions do not. There are scores of Whites that go above and beyond the call of duty in helping out and there are scores that simply run off at the mouth.
"Whites can't be all bad. We elected a Black President." And that means what exactly ? Some foolishly believed that we would become a "post - racial society", when what President Obama's election really did was bring the racists out of the woodwork. I remember one news report where an older White woman actually said "I'm afraid that if he wins, the Blacks will take over." At the end of it all, that one statement is the answer to the "why" question. It's all about the power that Whites have had and are fighting like hell to maintain. The institutions they've built are crumbling in favor of those that recognize the strength of diversity.
The generation coming up is a lot smarter than those that came before them in that the politics of race is a little easier to navigate. This gives me hope for the future. However, as long as America keeps displaying its cowardice when dealing with the question of race, we will never be the society we've lied to ourselves into believing we were. Part of that conversation goes back to the original premise of this blog. In the effort to bring about racial healing, all of us must know the truth about our history. In the process of finding that truth, things will be revealed that will challenge your very beliefs. Any progress in race relations is going to be in how you handle that truth. Do you engage with an honest curiosity, or do you revert to the safety of becoming defensive and shutting down altogether ?
As the true history of Blacks continues to be revealed, there are those that will accuse us of "playing the race card". There are also those that think we should leave well enough alone and there are those that will imply that we don't have a right to our real history and therefore, shouldn't be talked about at all.
I say to them, "Sorry about your hurt feelings, but as so many are fond of saying, get over it."
