Roots African or American, El fin

 Indigenous Garifuna of Guatamala

Being Black in America is an interesting journey enhanced only by our perceptions of ourselves and the stories that accompany our lives as denizens in the western hemisphere. What and who we are is to be determined by us, and how we view ourselves. And our perceptions of ourselves can drive beliefs and actions about how we live our daily lives. In part one I mentioned reading several books and attending lectures on our historical greatness and accomplishments. One commenter noted “Eventually, I grew bored with all of that because it didn't move me any closer toward "doing for self." I and others read the books, attended the lectures, and then went back to our various jobs working for White-controlled entities. As a Nation of Islam minister put it, we WEREN'T learning the science of providing "food, clothing, or shelter" for ourselves, or for our people.”

This is an excellent and well taken point. Unfortunately, the science of providing food, clothing and shelter has been dissected and re-mixed to become “if it don’t make dollars it don’t make sense” thus the science has been removed from the concept. Now, we have a business world that has become devoid of reciprocal living and true social economics that can be expressed in the indigenous American term found in Louisiana, lagniappe, to give a little something extra, or in a sense to give something back. The science of providing food, clothing and shelter is to “want for your brother what you want for yourself“ and create business’s along the lines of this concept as taught by the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. This one element, that’s now missing makes it an incomplete formula, without it, it becomes a tool for destruction.

Part of my thought process in presenting this series is to impart some knowledge that’s being hidden and since being hidden when presented, appears to be “secret origins“ of Black people. See, we only believe these are secret origins of Black people because those that teach and those that accept the standard teachings will continue to view our indigenous origins in places other than Africa as “secret origins.” One commenter wrote “

Vasco Nuñez de Balboa crossed the isthmus of Panama in 1513,he came across both indigenous and black skinned people. He was so surprised when he saw tall black people that he asked the indigenous people who the blacks were or where they were from. The indigenous people in Quarequa, did not respond to Balboa's question.”

She notes that Balboa encountered “both indigenous and black skinned people…” drawing a distinction calling one group of people “indigenous” and another “black skinned” alluding that the “black skinned people were not indigenous to Panama. Yet, she goes on to say “when Balboa saw the tall black people he asked the indigenous people who the blacks were or where they came from. The indigenous people in Quarequa, did not respond to Balboa’s question.” I simply say, because the indigenous (lighter skinned people) thought Balboa’s question was ridiculous and not worthy of an answer. The people of Quarequa knew the “black skinned” people were right from the land they were standing, Panama. The belief that the black skinned people were not indigenous to the land is based on the European Balboa’s question and not the response or non response by the so called “indigenous” people.

When we accept the belief that the black skinned people were not indigenous to the land we are accepting the view, and propagating the view of the European and not the people of color, the lighter skinned indigenous people of Panama!

We are a diverse people and not just the descendents of slaves. Dr. Jose Pimienta Bey says, if you only think of yourself as descendents of slaves, you will view yourself as slaves, and act as a slave.  We are actually, the descendents of prisoners of war and are forced into enslavement.  A war that started in Al Andaluz, (Spain) and spread to Africa then to the Americas. If we look at our history as a 500 hundred year history as being showcased by Tavis Smiley and his America I Am exhibit, limited to his concept of American Slavery. This is far from where my history begins and ends, and I can no longer support such a theory.

Dr. Ivan Van Sertima said it best when asked why he presented the Egypt Revisited lectures. Dr. Van Sertima entimated ’…our ancestors thought of themselves in a certain way and had an extraordinary sense of wholeness and incredible sense of spiritual powers, a sense of majesty of spirit.  So they attempted things that seems beyond the imagination…they had a sense of wholeness and an awareness of consciousness…I do this so that we can get a sense of ourselves, so that we can reconstruct on the glorious past, to project ourselves into a new future.’  I concur. As we get a sense of ourselves and our greatness in the western hemisphere before and after the advent of Columbus, war and eventual enslavement we can grow, loosening the shackles placed on the mind. My wish is that we can come to accept ourselves in the various color, hues and tone that the Great Spirit saw fit to decorate us and stop the divisiveness among us.

“I have met many blacks who claim to love the black race but as I listened to their views of other blacks they had a contempt for the diversity of the black race.

The only loved blackness that met their own criteria!

They only loved blackness that was packaged the way they preferred!

They dismissed any categories that didn’t fit into their tiny box of what constitutes black identification. I believe that this is rooted in a contempt for blackness."  Rev. Lisa Vasquez.

I don’t know who she was referring too, but I do know it’s a lessen for us all.