(ThyBlackMan.com) There are some in the African-American community who are diametrically opposed to referring to themselves as black, it’s almost as if the sky is falling when they hear others refer to themselves as black. I say to them keep calm and don’t believe the negative hype about black. How we perceive ourselves is what’s important—not how others try to cast us—it cannot be emphasized enough how important this is.
Insofar, as being the actual color black of course we aren’t, white people aren’t actually white, and Asians aren’t yellow though they are classified as such. Hispanics aren’t brown, and Indians aren’t red. Whites have ulterior motives for classifying all groups into racial categories which will become abundantly clear as we proceed bearing in mind that the only groups who play the color game are Black and White folks. Asians do not refer to themselves as Yellows, nor parade around chanting “Yellow Power;” the same goes for Hispanics who do not make a habit of referring to themselves as Browns, nor do Indians refer to themselves as Redskins or Red anything.
When White Supremacist made a distinction between white and black, they painted black as inferior and evil, while white was considered pure, superior and good. Refusing to remain voluntary victims of this classification, African Americans of the ‘60’s appropriated the term black, embracing and acknowledging the positive aspects of what it means to be Black. Thus the “Black is Beautiful” cultural movement was started. This movement began in an effort to counteract the prevailing attitude in American culture that “Black” features were less attractive or desirable than those of “Whites“.
Black History Month became necessary as a result of a preponderance of black people accomplishments and achievements being excluded from American and World History books, Black Miss America became a reality as a result of black women being exempt from entering Miss America contests. Black Power materialized as a reaction to White Privilege.
Since the advent of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade black and white have traditionally come to symbolize the dichotomy of evil and good. Black people have since been historically excluded from the framework of beauty and morality, reflecting white people as the most valued in our society. Scientists and philosophers produced works which declare that black people were uglier, less intelligent, and more like monkeys or apes than humans. Relentlessly making the case for white cultural, genetic, and intellectual superiority through eugenics, which was popular in the United States as well as Europe. American eugenics provided for justifications for forced 
sterilization, anti-miscegenation laws, and restrictive immigration policies as pertained to black people.
In most Western countries white is the color worn by brides at weddings. Angels are typically depicted as white and clothed in white robes. In many Hollywood Westerns, bad cowboys wear black hats while the good ones wear white. Melodrama villains are dressed in black and heroines in white dresses. Evil witches are stereotypically dressed in black and good fairies in white. Clearly the negative phenomenon surrounding the color black are being manufactured.
The message that black is bad and white is good is further perpetuated in mainstream news media. Black people are generally depicted as doing stupid stuff, going to jail, being misogynistic and violent thus portraying black strictly in a negative light, while as a rule conveniently overlooking positive attributes. Whereas with white people it’s the exact opposite portraying the positive and minimizing the negative imageries of being white. Serving as a reminder that this is America perpetuating and promoting a Eurocentric lifestyle, a country that once blatantly accepted the idea that the oppressed people exist only for the good of the oppressor; one that worked relentlessly to keep Blacks separated and detached from their roots—for these oppressors know the power in cultural unity and collective identity.
The notion or concept of a collective identity is totally foreign or ludicrous to present day Black African-Americans, and whenever any attempt to enlighten is made, some quickly brand these attempts as evil, racist and non-productive. All other groups gravitate towards cultural unity and collective identity which is normal and rational. So why are black folks discouraged from doing so? Isn’t black supposed to be inferior to white? Obviously not! When put in proper context we need to recognize how we as Black African-Americans are being socially and politically engineered.
Whenever, corporate America is supportive of anything having to do with black folks we must always take a step back and take a second look at things. Two words come to mind, political and social. Meaning there are political and social contexts to achieve political and social ends. When we as black folks receive a formal education and/or training seldom do we stop to ask ourselves who the beneficiary is. We recognize how it helps us as individuals to achieve certain goals we may have established for ourselves, but the ultimate beneficiary is corporate white America. We are socially and politically engineered to support the dominate system—to support white domination.
Whenever, students participate in Black studies, those studies are being contextualized, to achieve political and social ends. When we take courses such as engineering or math, etc. they are not connected to any sort of context such as political or social, because the major rule in the academies is to de-contextualize subject matter out of context—to [project] it as race neutral and objective. Which brings us to racism! Racism is more than an expression of an attitude. It isn’t just contained in the words and attitude of a people it is contained in the TOTAL system, total ideology. Board of Education is the results of a social, political context. We must always look at that context and see how it creates the conditions of which Black America continually finds itself embroiled in.
The Euro-centric education and/or training we as Black African-Americans receive never brings with it problem-solving skills and other things needed to solve the problems that we face as black people. You will never see White corporate America being supportive of anything resembling Economic Independence for Black America…NEVER! In other words there is no such thing as an equal education between black and white folks, and this is world-wide. To get a true and proper education black people are going to have to have their own academic system, same as Jewish people, Armenians, Asians, etc. Bottom line a Unification and Liberation Movement by Black African-Americans is something the American Institutionalized Systemic would never willingly go along with.
For every ONE African who actually lived through the torture of the African-American Holocaust, TEN died. Black African-Americans are the children of African ancestors who were the strongest and best of those who were stolen from the Motherland. If you are familiar with the history of Black civilizations you will recognize and know the true essence of blackness. Study about places like ancient Mali, Songhai, Ghana and discover that this world would not be what it is if the Black race did not have the capabilities, dedication and love needed in order to work together for common causes, goals and the good of a humankind.
Around 711 A.D. when the Moors, a Black people from Senegal, West Africa and Morocco, invaded Europe, they introduced education to Europe and [raised] the Europeans out of the Dark Ages. The Black Moors introduced art, architecture, sciences, medicines, animal husbandry and other advanced disciplines to Spain and the rest of Europe. They introduced advanced learning to the cities of Toledo, Seville and Cordoba. These cities became centers of Black Moorish and European scholarship, science and culture, where Europeans and others learned new and advanced sciences, arts and technologies that led to the European Renaissance of later years.
The strong and established ancient civilizations of Blacks also included Nubians, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Libyans, Thinites, Cushites, Memphites, Numidians and others. However, when these kingdoms fell upon their dark periods, all were invaded by barbarians from the north with the exception of Nubia Kush. Only Nubia Kush remained powerful until the 1500’s when Arab invaders infiltrated and began enslaving Blacks. The invaders are still there today.
Ancient Black Civilizations have left evidence of its prehistoric existence all over the world. However, whites have a tendency to ignore what they say can’t be explained. Whites will claim that they are the original race of Egypt, but will not provide an explanation for the black features of the monolithic Sphinx, or the black features of other Egyptian artifacts, the inclination is to deface any such evidence. Sphinx by the way is a Greek term that describes a winged monster with a lion’s body and the head and breasts of a woman, this is not what the Egyptian model looks like. The correct term for the Egyptian model is Her-em-Akhet not Sphinx, is calling it Sphinx a deliberate ploy?
From North America throughout South America exist evidence of Ancient Black Civilizations (large stone head figures with black features, drawings of figures with black features in caves) all of which are being ignored as opposed to offering an explanation. The Asian continent have evidence which too is conveniently ignored, from the air can be seen pyramids in China which the Chinese will not allow public access to the immediate area.
Black in its positive context offers magic, mystique, allure, protection and strong sense of self (providing one isn’t mentally enslaved), is the color of authority and power, stability and strength. It is also the color associated with intelligence (doctorate, judges in black robe, black horn rimmed glasses, etc.) nothing evil or sinister about any of this at all.
Staff Writer; H. Lewis Smith
This talented brother is the founder and president of UVCC, the United Voices for a Common Cause, Inc., http://www.theunitedvoices.com author of Bury that Sucka: A Scandalous Love Affair with the N-Word, and the recently released book Undressing the N-word: Revealing the Naked Truth, Lies, Deceit and Mind Games https://www.createspace.com/4655015
Also follow Mr. Smith on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thescoop1.