One People/One Destiny

There is no rift between Africans and our brothers across the atlantic. Every race makes fun of each other. Black people are no different. Making fun of ourselves and our different backgrounds does not mean we hate each other.

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Amen to that.

It is taking time for us to see each other without the veil draped over us by European oppression. We have looked at each through that veil for centuries. I am only this year learning about African Canadians even knowing that many African Americans reached Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. And many, many others from African nations by traditional methods of immigration.

I only this year learned the Province of British Columbia was founded by a man of African, in fact, African American, descent. Forgive me for not having his name on the tip of my fingers. We're still like children standing on tiptoe trying to see over each other.

We are all of African ancestry. Some more recent than others. Some more directly than others. We are still struggling with definition.

Let me share this with you. I may be a little of topic, but can be useful here.

I spent a number of years in "copy band", a rock group. When Santana hit the scene, I knew his wasn't the usual rock group. I knew he was not the usual rock artist. I felt a little "let down" because I knew, no I thought, he was selling his heritage for success. Many of us have done it. Why hammer him? I never said, "Here's a "black" man selling out." I never identified him as a "black" man. He never said.

When he hit the scene for the third time, this time blowing out the "Grammy's", he made the day. A reporter questioned him trying to characterize his music as "Caribbean" and then "Latin", Santana said, simply, "It's African." I'm Africam. No fanfare. No explanation. The power was in the words.

Often, we don't "see" each other because we don't say anything.

Do not feed negativism. And, don't feed ON negativism.

PEACE

Jim Chester

You are who you say you are. Your children are who you say you are.

[This message was edited by James Wesley Chester on November 08, 2003 at 08:14 PM.]

[This message was edited by James Wesley Chester on November 11, 2003 at 04:32 AM.]

I would have to say that the "rift" is actually a matter of a lack of dialogue and understanding.

The truth is, the differences between us are much more superficial than they are internal.

BLACK by NATURE, PROUD by CHOICE.
Free your mind, and the rest will follow.