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Kunjufu
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Posted: Sunday August 29th, 2004 10:41 |
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Kunjufu wrote: Ok People can I just explain/expand on the purpose of this Thread and this section of the forum, i believe that what is required is thoughts, feelings or essays from our perspective about what is to black(personally I would have said African, African Carribean) in 21st Century Britian & America..
So this forum is NOT specifically about discussing what it is to be black, but for people to share, define and to articulate how they feel about themselves and their culture from whatever perspective... Like i said before it could be in the form of a poem, essay or a thesis.. All i would add is that if you do share a poem or essay on this subject, obviously take copyright precautions to ensure that you're recognised for your thoughts ok..
Ok hopefully thats a bit clearer So please can people young & old working class and proffessional please share their viewpoint in whatever format...this will beneficial in more ways than you can imagine so Here is a really good opportunity to tell people what we think and feel instead of allowing others to do it for us...let use it..
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sisteroutsider
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Posted: Tuesday August 31st, 2004 02:06 |
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Black is a racial category which lumps together diverse peoples based not only on skin color but hair texture and facial characteristics like broad nose and thick(er) lips. Essentially being black is having a set or combination of features which can show that part or all of your heritage can be traced to sub-saharan Africa. If black referred just to skin color then SE Asians like Indians and P*kistanis who are a lot of times much darker in complexion than so-called black people would be included in the black category but they are not...
As such, black people are a diverse group with diverse cultures none of which can claim to be more "black" than any other. Being black isn't listening to music only produced by other black people, eating certain foods, wearing certain clothes, or talking a certain way. In short there are many ways to be black.
And while I don't think black people should magically get along just because we are lumped into the same category, I do think we share a common bond in that we are all mistreated by "white" people due to our link with Africa and that we should be proud of the features that set us apart from other races.
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Afrikan_Prince
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Posted: Friday September 3rd, 2004 02:48 |
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I haven't read any of the posts but Oxford Dictionary defines "Black" ( when referring to people ) as " of the human group with dark colored skin, esp. African" or "member of a dark skinned race, esp. African". This same dictionary defines "Negro" as "member of a dark skinned race orig. native to Africa; black or dark". In the 'usage' box it states "the term Negro is often considered offensive; Black is usually preferred". Websters New Dictionary defines "Black" as " member of a black-skinned race" and "Negro" as "member of the Black African race".
Black is a racial designation that refers to indiginous African descended people, who generally share physical features like Afro-textured hair and dark skin and Black features. "Black" just means "of African descent".
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AQ
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Posted: Friday September 3rd, 2004 13:32 |
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wotsits18 wrote: @ Maat : Hmmm being black isn't about being black, but being you..However you are black & your are only stating your own experiences which is all good & not the negative trying to catergorise/pidgeon hole who or what black is..
For too long in here peeps are saying black is this & that whilst forgeting to express who they are..A child is born with innocence & over a period of time things are thurst/embedded in them for them to form their own self & make their own jugdement/comments..Its the same in this particular thread, its like peeps are trying to find meaning after meaning to better the last one so that they can go that little bit deeper so that they look like they have some sort of deeper knowledge/insight..
Although your post was/is looooooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggggg it was about what you like/feel which made it a nice change..
@ AQ : Nice1  ..Its good great wonderful marvellous being black for all our faults etc l'm loving it..
From this blackman to you a blackwoman 
Right back at ya hun'
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tyger1611
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Posted: Friday September 3rd, 2004 17:17 |
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I got up this morning with an overwhelming sense of loss for the future of my people, and I know that I can't continue in ignorance to what is happening to the Black race anymore. I don't know how we can change our situation in the world as a race, so I have started by asking some questions. Positive Black role-models are rarely in the public eye, and it honestly seems as if today's North American culture, (mass-media), makes the biggest Black stars out of people portraying themselves as gang bangers or drug dealers. Does this happen because most Black people actually admire murder, drug-dealing, and other criminal activity; or is this an elaborate set-up by media giants to lessen our potential, by dictating what is normal for, or expected from Black people? I think the answer is really obvious.
It makes me really angry that even after having our civil rights reinstated after hundreds of years bound in slavery, many of us still can't hold our heads up high because we just don't know what we should be proud of. It's been less than 100 years since we were recognized again as being equal: equal, but not quite the same. I believe that the Black race, as a whole, has been going through an immense culture shock since the beginning of our displacement, right up until this present time. For so many of us, North America is our home, not by choice, but by default. I love Canada. I was born here, and by experience, I don't know what it's like to live anywhere else. Do I really belong here though, or is my true place in Africa? Unfortunately, like so many of my people, this isn't a question I have the ability to answer.
I am also really bothered by the fact that every other race I can think of has a nation to call home. Again, I love Canada, but I can't trace my lineage generations back in this country. Sure, Blacks and Whites may be equal, but this has never been our country. Which one of our great-grandfathers founded our home-town, or set out to pioneer this once vast wilderness? No, this is not our home-land. When I think about the children I would one day like to have, I think about what I will leave behind for them when I'm gone: some land, and a house perhaps. What did my fore-fathers leave for me? Whatever land they left was stolen from me and from my children.
At this very point in time, I see history repeating itself. Just as the Native peoples of North America were cheated and robbed of their heritage, so Africa is being cunningly sacked by the same treachery. Civil wars are brewing everywhere, and I can't help but see the greedy capitalists still getting rich, while they promote Africans killing Africans. Maybe to you this is a stupid question, but why aren't the richest people in Africa Africans? Why haven't our people learned to compensate for each-others' weaknesses, and make sure that no child goes hungry? Why don't we have one unified nation? It's very clear to me that nobody outside our race will ever have that vision for Africa. And while the rich keep getting richer from African land, this great continent of vast resources and limitless possibilities keeps evading our control. Why? Does anybody have any answers for me? Doesn't anybody dream anymore?
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Twang
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Posted: Sunday September 5th, 2004 09:52 |
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Apart from Being used to describe my hue Black use to mean everything positive the opposite to white in harmony with nature, having the power to make those in power feel powerless when attempting to oppress the powerful. Back to a time when black soldiers acted in unison to achieve a common goal, resisting and rebelling against those soulless souls, but sadly the beautiful colour has now become a term accepted by the mentally weak, to describe a lost tribe who seem to scared to speak, afraid to acknowledge that of who we really are, who now hind behind a label handed down to us by the genetically unstable...
So I ask the question am I a black man? NO!
I’m an African.
Peace.
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IcBLeAutyCK
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Posted: Sunday September 5th, 2004 19:40 |
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mizslimting
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Posted: Sunday May 30th, 2004 21:20 -
Quote
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being black means to me.
nothing coming easy
having to struggle
having to try twice as hard as white folks
being judged by the mere colour of your skin before people know you! 
being proud 
being strong
and being something/someone that alot of other peolpe would like to be
I am not Black, but being married to a Black African and having best friends who are black and children of mixed race,(Black) is also all of what mizslimting says!!
Especially as my "wYte"ex- family and "wYte" ex - best friends have something in common. They are all afraid of the strength black people have, they fear it, but they would love to have it. Being totally by my Husbands side, i feel proud, we struggle, we have to fight & challenge every day.
I feel it, i live it, and i choose it. Colour of skin means nothing to me, and certainly don't fear it.
As for being Black, i haven't had the privellage, but i see Beauty in Black!!
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Mekki
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Posted: Sunday September 19th, 2004 14:55 |
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What it means to be black... well first off I have never been any other color but black so I can't speak of a difference. When I encounter what seem to be racist people, they come in black and white and other nationalities. I live every day in America trying to make a living and deal with the positives and negatives that affect all of us at one time or another. I thank God for making me who am, black skin and all. I mean he made all of us in his image. We are all humans who bleed the same red blood, breath the same air, live and eventually die. I look at my family and see many shades of black. I don’t think the skin color black is an attitude or something negative, I mean that’s just crazy. Its just a skin color that god chose to decorate us with. Some people black and white have a problem with it for some reason or another. I am just a person whom God made black, who sees good and bad in all people. Who chooses to love and accept people regardless of their
color.
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Krystal
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Posted: Wednesday September 22nd, 2004 18:45 |
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| To be honest I dont have a clue. I'm Black and from Africa and as far as I can see its a skin color and a lot of culture and a lot of history to be proud of. I love being Black because this is who I am and who I'll always be and the race I've been taught to love. To me being Black is being of a certain skin color, have certain features, come from Africa even if its not directly, and having certain hair. And also having a rich culture and history to be proud off. I dont know if that makes sense.
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siouxlady
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Posted: Thursday September 23rd, 2004 15:08 |
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BLACK IS BEING, LOVED AND ADMIRED, BY ALL THE OTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THERE IS NO OTHER LIKE UNTO US. ALL THE OTHER WANT IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER TO BE LIKE UNTO US.
DOMINANT SEED. MIX OUR SEED WITH ANY OF THE OTHERS IT DOMINATES.
THERE IS NO MISTAKING US.
BEING BLACK MEANS THAT I WAS FIRST AND ALL THE OTHER IN SOME WAY CAME FROM ME.
peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of GOD.
PEACE AND A LONG LIFE.
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zarrbon
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Posted: Thursday September 23rd, 2004 17:09 |
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| Being black to me means "power and endurance"
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セクシーã?ªã‚ˆã??定義ã?•ã‚Œã?Ÿç”·ã?®å?ã?®æ†Žæ‚ªã?Œç§?ã‚’ã?ªã?œå¥½ã‚€ã?‹ã€‚憎悪ç§?ã?®macho ç£?æ°—.... ã?ªã?œ ç§?ã?¯ç§?ã‚’ç½®ã??よã?†ã?«ã?—ã?Ÿæ„šã?‹ã?ªé›ŒçŠ¬ã?Œæ–る。美ã?—ã?„å‰µé€ ç‰©ã?«é–¢é€£ã?™ã‚‹ã?¹ã??懸命ã?«ã??ã‚Œã?¯ç§?を好む。
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will-he-write
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Posted: Friday September 24th, 2004 20:39 |
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| Black is a free state of mind. When we claim our rightful place on earth we can truly be black. Let's kick the devil's a$#
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BIRDSEED
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Posted: Friday October 1st, 2004 22:35 |
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 BEING BLACK TO ME IS GOOD. IM ALSO NATIVE AMERICAN BUT MOST OF MY LOOKS ARE BY GLANCE ARE BLACK .I PRODUCE MUSIC AND IM ALSO AN OPERATOR I WAS BORN IN CHITOWN BUT NOW I LIVE IN MILWAUKEE WISC. IM GONNA KEEP THIS SHORT... YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR PAST BEFOR YOU DIVE IN THE FUTURE.BLACK PEOPLE HAVE WORKED FOR OVER 400 YES 400 YEARS FOR FREE FOR THIS COUNTRY AND WE HAVE GOT NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT!!!! CHECK THIS, THE WHITE MAN IS A THINKER NOT A FIGHTER. LIKE CHAKA ZULU THAT HELD OFF THE WHITE MAN AND HIS GUNS FOR 10 YEARS WITH JUST A SPEAR&SHIELD........TRICK ANSWER A ZULU TRIBE WITH NO GUNS? BLACK MEN ARE THINKERS ALSO, WE JUST DONT THINK WHEN ITS TIME TO DO SO.THERES NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING BLACK HELL IM A SOCALLED LITE SKIN BLACK.BUT NOT A SELLOUT ..I HAVE TO SAY THIS, I DONT CARE WHO GETS MAD....WE HAVE STAND TOGETHER FIRST BEFOR ANYTHING CAN TAKE PLACE AND STOP DEPENDING ON THE WHITE MAN LIKE A 500 YES 500 YEAR OLD HOUSE N****r!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Passing Stranger
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Posted: Saturday October 2nd, 2004 20:58 |
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What does being black mean to me?
It means nothing to me. I don't care about my skin color or features. I am Human.
I don't like to be categorized by a color. I am more than a Color. I am Human
I have thoughts, dreams, creativity, goals. I want more out of life, i want to explore, become more, to have no limit. that is what makes me human.
I am a person- not a thing that can be defined. And whoever tries to define me will only find out that his definition has grown old and obsolete. I am forever changing.
Whoever takes on the definition of another has no will... is nothing... Not Human.
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kelgoneimy84
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Posted: Sunday October 10th, 2004 14:29 |
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| Being black should be a gift I’m proud to be black 100% you watch television and it shows that beauty is white skin, blond hair and blue eyes why can’t beauty be soft black skin, dark hair and dark eyes why can’t you have the all American girl be a beautiful black women? Society has ingrained this image of the perfect family has to be of the same raise and background why could they have a series of a black women who is married to a white man and vise versa. I want to see more strong black political leaders to lead us thought this life.
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Akosua
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Posted: Monday October 11th, 2004 19:37 |
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| It means having black skin. I didn't have to suffer to be black I was born this way so I'm not proud of it and it don't mean jack to me.
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witchy
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Posted: Wednesday October 13th, 2004 22:09 |
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Errrr Im sorta lost here....im neither black nor white...so its just the way I am...I know about both of my cultures, my parents saw to it that I did. I would say as being Cornish born and bred Im more proud of being Cornish than anything else. OH MY!! shock horror!! yes....Im one of those people who believe that you are English if you are born on English soil and French if you were born in France...no matter what your skin colour. Makes me smile when I do <shudders> at the thought, venture up the line to London and see English born black kids sporting african colours on t-shirts claiming they are African...you were born here you are English..your CULTURE may be African but what does it say on your passport or birth certificate is what you are...oh crap i can see this is gonna cause problems...but thats the way I feel. Im a half caste CORNISHPERSON...I embrace the Cornish way of life, and no, I have never had any nasty racist comments from whites, only from a black gentleman, sporting an African flag on a chain around his neck..who spoke with a....BIRMINGHAM accent!
YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE
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ppaul2000erh
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Posted: Monday October 18th, 2004 12:38 |
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Hello there my brothers & sisters :
As we may all know being black is beautiful. Through the eye's of God everybody is beautiful. But we have a problem here ; black people want to be brown skin & white people want to be brown skin...Why.?
White people travel thousands of miles around the world & spend lots of money to get a beautiful Sun - tan to look brown skin..Why...?
Black people ( women ) majority, spend a lot of money on bleaching creams to make themselves brown skin...Why..? Our black sisters also want to have long hair like the white woman...Why..?
I suppose both black & white frankly speaking want to be mixed race..Brown Skin
Don't really understand this crazy world..!
According to the Passage Below... go to Searching for Salvation...
Last edited on Monday October 18th, 2004 12:53 by ppaul2000erh
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obal85
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Posted: Monday October 18th, 2004 17:47 |
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I suppose both black & white frankly speaking want to be mixed race..Brown Skin
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SAYS WHO?
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Afroboo
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Posted: Tuesday October 19th, 2004 18:28 |
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Passing Stranger wrote: What does being black mean to me?
It means nothing to me. I don't care about my skin color or features. I am Human.
I don't like to be categorized by a color. I am more than a Color. I am Human
I have thoughts, dreams, creativity, goals. I want more out of life, i want to explore, become more, to have no limit. that is what makes me human.
I am a person- not a thing that can be defined. And whoever tries to define me will only find out that his definition has grown old and obsolete. I am forever changing.
Whoever takes on the definition of another has no will... is nothing... Not Human.
My thoughts exactly
Black is basically just a discription used to discribe how people of my race look.
But Human is what i am, followed by being an African/British.
I would say how we look as people is beautiful , but how we are as a black people can only be defined by how we are as individuals..
Because being of any race is not all it takes to make someone beautiful on the inside
Last edited on Tuesday October 19th, 2004 18:44 by Afroboo
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Sit al-Banal
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Posted: Thursday October 21st, 2004 23:43 |
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What is Black.....For Me
Black Men see me as a brother, threat, or leader
Asian men wish they were me
Oriental men think I'm a mystery
White men fear me
Black women love me
Asian women wonder
Oriental women are curious
White women want me
The poor don't care
The rich hope I never see the truth....
If the Gods could remake me
They would make me as I am
Perfect
From my curly black hair
to my
Strong broad feet
I would be holy in my own image
That was a reflection of the Gods
They would change nothing
Neither add nor take away.
Se-lah
Last edited on Friday October 22nd, 2004 00:08 by Sit al-Banal
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Black_power
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Posted: Friday October 22nd, 2004 09:51 |
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Sit al-Banal wrote: What is Black.....For Me
Black Men see me as a brother, threat, or leader
Asian men wish they were me
Oriental men think I'm a mystery
White men fear me
Black women love me
Asian women wonder
Oriental women are curious
White women want me
The poor don't care
The rich hope I never see the truth....
If the Gods could remake me
They would make me as I am
Perfect
From my curly black hair
to my
Strong broad feet
I would be holy in my own image
That was a reflection of the Gods
They would change nothing
Neither add nor take away.
Se-lah
 Couldnt have put it better myself!!!
Its more than just a olour
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Medusa
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Posted: Friday October 22nd, 2004 13:16 |
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I am inspired by what most of you wrote. We have some great poets here
Black for me is being raised in Harlem,byt Parents from the South. Collard Greens,Cornbread,soul food. Cornrows when I was a child. Black is my music whether Michael Jackson or some white performer doing black music. It is the way I walk and talk. My education and mis-education. My previous curiousity into the world or white and now forsaking it. My African name, my dance. I am African-American which means I am a child of Africa raised and influenced by the West by philosphers like Descartes,Marx and Marquis De Sade, but never forgot where I came from.Reconnecting with Africa,with my adopted homeland Mali.
Last edited on Friday October 22nd, 2004 13:17 by Medusa
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