WE WERE A HAPPY LOT GROWING UP POOR IN A PREDOMINATELY WHITE IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOOD....WE DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE POOR BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS IN THE SAME BOAT.....WE DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE AFRICANS, BECAUSE NO ONE, INCLUDING OUR PARENTS TOLD US THAT WE WERE.....BEING CALLED "COLORED" WAS NOT OFFENSIVE TO US, IT SEEMED TO FIT..... AFTER ALL WE WERE ALL DIFFERENT COLORS.
BUT CALL US "BLACK" AND YOU HAD A HELL OF A FIGHT ON YOUR HANDS.
IF YOU ANSWER NO TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WE HAVE SOME THINGS IN COMMON.
IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING, YOU HAVE INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH MYSELF AND POSSIBLY OTHERS..........
1. DID YOU OR YOUR FAMILY HAVE ANY INPUT IN THE CHANGING OF YOUR RACIAL IDENTITY IN THIS COUNTRY?
2.DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA IF THERE WAS ANY LEGISLATION ACTED UPON THAT CHANGED YOU FROM COLORED TO NEGRO TO BLACK TO AFRICAN AMERICAN?
3.DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO THE BLACK PEOPLE WERE THAT TOLD THE WHITE PEOPLE WHAT YOU WANTED TO BE CALLED?
4.WERE THESE BLACK PEOPLE DULY ELECTED TO REPRESENT YOU AND EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS?
MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS ALL ANSWERED "NO" TO ALL THE ABOVE.
SINCE WE WERE ALL LEFT OUT OF THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE WHO WAS INVOLVED WHO CAN PERHAPS FILL US IN ON THE DETAILS.
SINCE BLACK HISTORY, AS WE KNOW IT, IS BASED SOLELY UPON WHAT BLACKS HAVE ACCOMPLISHED AS AMERICANS NOT AFRICANS, IT STANDS TO REASON THAT THE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TO AMERICAN CULTURE, NOT AFRICAN.