Third Edition

September 25, 2013

Black Consciousness
Promoting Freedom of Thought

Quote of the Day: Khalil Gibran Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself

Table of Contents Who Taught You to Hate Yourself.Donald Williams To The People Formally Known as Niggas......Vana Rose & Jahi Beal A Trial of Skin......Ret Brocke

Let us take a moment to pray for and remember the people of Kenya who have just suffered a 3-day terror attack leaving 75 dead including 3 Americans.

Copyright Black Consciousness Writers 1

Who taught you to hate yourself? May 5th 1962

"Who taught you to hate the color of your skin? Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the shape of your nose and the shape of your lips? Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet? Who taught you to hate your own kind? Who taught you to hate the race that you belong to, so much so that you don't want to be around each other? No... Before you come asking Mr. Muhammad does he teach hate, you should ask yourself who taught you to hate being what God made you." Malcolm X gave many speeches, sharing words of thought that dragged his audiences out of their chairs and into the inner walls of his mind, during his lifetime. You might think you know Malcolm, but his vision and mindset matured and grew until the day of his untimely death. While a majority of people see him as having an extremist mindset, or radical views that he spoke of in the years of his youth, he was actually starting to shift to a more inclusive and open humanitarian mindset towards the end of his life. He believed in a Black empowerment that must come from within before seeking to unite with the general populous, and this in itself challenged not only the current concept of respect and Civil Rights, but the integrity of the country. Besides his political or religious views I would like to pose some food for thought. Based off of the quote in the earlier part of this article, I couldnt help but notice that these are still some of the same questions that we should ask ourselves today. What is this hate that he speaks of? It may be hard for some to realize, but as a community for the most part growing up in my experience children dont really focus on the positive aspects of our culture, but are quick to promote the negative stereotypes.

From an early age, all too often have I heard friends and family, along with myself, get asked Why do you talk like that? or Why are you trying to act so smart? Questions like these not only discourage growth and advancement of the mind through learning and seeking wisdom, but also encourage stupidity, or the dumbing down of others around you. This may lead to a state of confusion that our fellow brothers and sisters have faced growing up. Have you ever sat in the middle of the classroom and asked yourself, What am I doing here? or felt like you didnt belong? This is the state of confusion I am speaking of. Statements made to look down on or discredit the smart kid in the classroom can put the smart kid in a state of confusion too. Whereas before the student may have felt great about successfully completing his, or her, assignment now this student when faced with the question posed earlier may feel dumb or inferior to the students around them because theyre not the average smart like everyone else or may not fit in because of envious peers. The direct opposite should happen. The smart kid of the classroom should be looked at as the coolest kid not because of the way he/she walks, talks, looks, or acts in comparison to the average students in the classroom, but because cool points should align with academic achievement and helping others within his/her own community. In closing, I pose these scenarios and views to ask you to think about the opening quote and what it has meant in the past and how the present can relate. After doing so ask yourself, have you encouraged any of this self-hate in the past and what you can do in the present to make sure it does not become a hindrance to your fellow brothers and sisters in the future. -Donald Williams

To the People Formally Known as Niggas

Disclaimer: This is the last time the N word will appear in this newspaper
By VanaRose My niggas? Has the word nigga itself been slinging mental slavery towards us on the sly? According to Websters Mediterranean dictionary, Nigger is defined as a member of any dark skinned race or a member of a socially disadvantaged class of persons. It is also listed as the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in the entire English language, so what makes black people so comfortable being called niggas, even by people of their own race? Its understood that there are a variety of opinions on this matter, but this division in the black community is what keeps us from reaching our full potential. Coming to a consensus is pivotal to the unity and success of the nation. Older African-Americans perceive the N word as a term plagued with racial injustice, but it is easy to see why, as they have lived through the civil rights movement and experienced firsthand the prejudices associated with it. In spite of this, the modern take on the N word is considered a term of endearment, right? Thats my nigga, is a term of affection but what happens when that nigga hits your car, or is seen being a ratchet nigga in public? Does the word still carry that same brotherly feeling? There is an old saying that states Its easier to kill a nigga than it is to kill your brother. Willie Lynch, who understood this concept in his principles on how to make a slave, not physically, but mentally; using small differences to make large divisions. Which begs us to ask the question, have the times truly changed? Or is the use of N word just another tactic to divide our people; severing the communication between younger and older generations? Even when the N word is used in a positive connotation it still denotes oppression and inferiority. What is the difference between a white man saying Thats a good little nigger versus a black man

saying thats a good little Nigga? The only difference I see is one in pronunciation. The Genesis Brothers by Jahi Beal There were once two men who worked together with brotherly love. Yet, the younger wanted to be the master and by default, the older must become the slave. They were equal in physicality and mentality, at least conceptually; so how could this be done? The man who aimed for the masters title chose to go about this in a rather secretive approach, why not convince his brother that he is not only a slave, but his slave? Demean his brothers wife and sister first, after all theyre only bitches, and then get to work on the construction of mental slavery within the man himself. A word is just a word; sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will never hurt you was the lie he told, yet all around we see Prisoners of Words (P.O.Ws). Ex-Cons cant get jobs, juvenile delinquents are naturally second-class, and ghetto people are (insert negative connotation here); words can stereotypically destroy people. While some words/titles can be altered for the better, there is no gain in using the self-embracing method of the word Nigga in order to prove that its negative history doesnt shape you, just dont use it at all. The story of the two brothers ended rather happily, at least for the eldest brother. Although, the younger aimed at becoming master, he could never fully control the essence of his brother. Chains, physical or mental, could not hold him and he grew stronger, more empowered. Today he can neither be fooled nor controlled, and the only word to describe what he isis Man, or Brother and his counterpart can only be called Woman, or Sister.

A Trial of Skin
I often wonder where our problem with darkness came from. Did it start at the Genesis when God separated light and dark, or was it planted like a mustard seed in the minds of humanity? It seems as if on accident darkness accepted the role of life's antagonist. Throughout history dark has become embedded in our language as a word saddled with negativity; you might think me wrong but it has been made manifest in our labeling of certain periods (The Dark Ages), and genres (Dark Humor). We've associated bad behavior and negative events with dark, shadowy places and as if by natural progression our dark problem, became a black problem (The Black Plague), and the black problem moved from areas and events to people. As a result a psychological conflict was created, causing African Americans to have disdain for dark skin as it counters dominant social, and cultural ideals. Discrimination based on skin color although coined by Alice Walker in 1982 dates back farther than can be determined. Colorism is a mechanism of discrimination that relies solely on skin color; this is a form of pigmentocracy practiced in the United States. Pigmentocracy is a term recently adopted by social scientists to describe societies in which health and social status are determined by skin color. Examples of such societies can be found specifically in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, East Asia, India, and Latin America. When slavery plagued our great nation, the biological differences in skin color were used as a means to divide the black community. Having light skin proved to be quite useful on the plantation as it provided various opportunities such as education, more economic value, less strenuous tasks (domestic duties) and it all together caused one to seem superior to dark skinned blacks. Even after the Abolition of Slavery in 1865 colorism created an internalized structure of hierarchy and division within the black community. Lighter skinned blacks began to set themselves apart by

socializing, marrying, and procreating with one another. Exclusionary social clubs, societies and even churches were started, Brown Paper Bag laws were instituted and then Darker Blacks began to separate themselves as well. The illusion of evolution is a sad one as the light to dark hierarchy within the African American community has existed since slavery, and is alive and avid today. Political Scientists have even suggested that skin color is a characteristic perhaps as equally important as religion, income, and education. As always the monster lies in the media, as mass media production still perpetuates discrimination based on skin color. African Americans possessing lighter skin and European features such as lighter eyes and smaller noses and lips have more opportunities in the media. Film producers tend to hire lighter, as a result the status of darker-skinned blacks is diminished to the determent of the entire community. If this is the first time you've heard of the #teamlightskin vs. #teamdarkskin sensation sweeping the nation (which seems unlikely seeing as its literally everywhere), don't take my word for it, Facebook, Twitter, Instragram, YouTube, and even Tumblr, have become the nesting ground for this ignorance to take full effect. Researchers have even gone so far as to term being a dark skinned woman as triple jeopardy (possibly because of this nonsense). Willie Lynch stated in 1712, that if certain differences (age, color, intelligence, etc) were outlined and made bigger it would be a fool proof method of controlling slaves for at least 300 years. We are now officially one year behind. If we are going to demand respect from our White counterparts (who lack that one necessary drop of black blood), then we should show that we deserve it through respecting one another. I think its high time that we start loving ourselves for all shades, for all are rich and beautiful. -Ret Brocke

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