Rusty Locks

Some of the best times I have with friends is during the exchange of honest dialogue.

A friend of mine, who is from Korea, excitedly told me of her discoveries while tracing her family tree. Her research took her back 1500 years! She had names, families, and dynasties and all proudly displayed her rich heritage. After we went through the chronology, she innocently said, “Leila, YOU should do this!”

I must admit that an immediate anger threatened to surface but was instantly replaced by a feeling of embarrassment. She saw my eyes turn from engaging to sadness and realized the dilemma. I told her that I could trace my White grandfather’s side of the family but the Black side of my family would only go back to my great, great grandparents and that before that, Blacks were on bills of sale with simple names and descriptions, such as Nettie, the female Negro who is ripe for breeding and Isaiah, the buck who can do the work of three men. These one-named people obviously came from somewhere but the slave hunters and slave owners could care less about the legacy of a people.

During Black History Month, something I have always resented, we do our best to highlight the accomplishments of those who succeeded during and after slavery. This has always left a bitter taste in my mouth because it always seemed as though we were coming from a position of weakness. We “survived” slavery, we “excelled in spite of racism”, someone was “the first Black to ever” do this or that.

As an adult, I can see that because our history was abruptly cut-off, this time period of slavery and post-slavery seems to be the only documented records of an entire group of people in America.

Although we do not have more evidence of our history to point to, the accomplishments during this time are not to be discarded for we helped build the fabric of the most powerful nation on earth.

Still, knowing you have a great history is better than speculating. And while I didn’t have specific names and addresses to recite to my friend, there was one thing I did know - our people are the direct descendants of Almighty God. Surely He must have had a purpose in allowing us to endure centuries of terrorism, slavery and racism.

On another occasion we were talking girl-talk and I showed her a picture of when I rocked a short and sassy Halle Berry type of hair style. Our conversation immediately shifted to hair weaves. Her people are some of the biggest retailers of hair weaves and she asked, “How come more Black women don’t wear their natural hair? If your hair doesn’t grow long, then wear a pretty short cut. If your hair is rough, then make the rough work for you. The ones who buy the weaves - they don’t care that everyone knows their hair is fake?”

This, of course, led to the discussion of what centuries of programming has done to define what beauty is and how Blacks are not the only ones who suffer from feeling inferior if they do not possess these standards. She nodded and talked about how some Asian people have their eyes cut to minimize the slant and appear more “Western.”

These psychological issues are part of what makes the reality of Barack Obama so huge.

His campaign and presidency may not have unleashed hope in some of our burned out adults but the implications of having a Black man on television, in print, on radio day in and day out for two years has had a massive effect on our youth.

So much so that It’s now in style for young Black men to have a woman they refer to as their, “First Lady” instead of their B****. You can see videos of toddlers kissing his picture and shouting his name. And after years of trauma and damage, our young women are seeing a new standard of beauty in the lovely Michelle Obama.

Those more “seasoned” point out his every flaw and shortcoming and feel it is their duty to dwell on how racism still exists and that he’s not going to be able to change a corrupt system of government.

My answer to that is, “AND…?”

If it took 400 years to mess us up, who in their right mind thinks the ills of Black people will go away in four? Why don’t you take the love and enthusiasm young people are feeling and harnass it into new behaviors and goals that will have a lasting impact on their lives instead of shaking your finger all the time?

Photo: Leila Khaled

Our children need our encouragement in their aspirations to achieve more intellectually. Don’t knock the smart guy they look up to!

Stop getting in his face and stop saying you only want to “hold the President accountable.” Those words are reminiscent of Tavis Smiley and you saw what happened to him, right? Even more, no matter what you say or do, you will not stop young people from looking up to the President. Why not have them remember you as a supporter? Why not be constructive?

If you have some programmatic solutions to offer to a legislative process then get to writing.

We could learn a lot from the Latinos. They unite around specific issues they want addressed, such as immigration. Then they hold their endorsements until every politician running for office comes up with an acceptable platform.

We, too, should unite around specific legislative issues. Just shouting about youth violence, poverty, mortality rates, and illiteracy is not enough. These are endemic after centuries of racist policies and neglect and even when new laws are passed, it will take even more years to stop the damage, let alone reverse it. The President cannot make change overnight and there is still work needed on the ground.

If your hope and imagination are bound in rusty locks, don’t make the next generation suffer. Some of us want to succeed no matter what. Metropolis

Photo: BSP Chicago

Cover Page by Artist Turtel Onli

“Frederick Douglass was a great abolitionist and orator plus the United States Ambassador to the new nation of Haiti as well as a consultant to President Lincoln. George Washington Carver’s research on the peanut, soy beans, and other plants laid the foundation for improved crop yields that have been feeding millions of people along with the agricultural based industries that have thrived by advancing his concepts and discoveries. Mae Jemison was the first Black woman astronaut thus becoming the first Black woman to experience freedom beyond the pull of social limitations and the pull of Earthly gravity.

“Freedom lives through these people due to the survival, hope, hard work, vision, and durability of our Slave ancestors. God Bless each and every one of their souls. Without them there would be no President Obama nor the United States of America as we know it.” Turtel Onli 2010