Hi, there. I'm a Black American woman. Yeah, whoever is reading this probably already knows that fact. It's Black History Month (WOOOOHOOOO!!!). As a result, this entire month I will be talking about being a Black person/woman. I will be promoting Black owned companies, YouTubers, writers, movies, and artists. Just ALL BLACK EVERYTHING!!!! Beyonce's pregnant with twins... (Yes, I did that to fuck with the bitter people who supposedly don't care. #petty2K17) This is the way I show my pride in being Black and loving my culture.
Black Pride or being Pro-Black is loving Black culture and respecting it. It's supporting Black creators of anything. It's celebrating Black heritage and culture. That is Black Pride. It's looking back at our traditions. Black Pride celebrates the artists and creators who weren't given a platform or were stopped at every turn. Being Pro-Black is looking forward to and supporting the new artists and creators in the Black community watching what they do to challenge stereotypes or break chains. I'm proud of the people who contribute to black culture and history. This is being proud of who I am.
Being Pro-Black or having Black Pride doesn't mean that you believe that people of another ethnicity and race is below Black people. In fact, Pro-Black does not mean anti-White. It cannot be compared to White pride. White pride is synonymous with White Supremacy. Before the White people jump on me saying, "So, I can't be proud of my culture?" That's not what I'm saying. Have pride in your probably Norwegian or Swedish heritage. Take pride in your English heritage, your German heritage, your French heritage. Have pride in that. Celebrate those traditions, but to proud just because your skin is white is where the racism begins.
If you're wondering why I get to be proud of my race and why it's racist for White people to be I'll break it down for you. Black people were taken from their cultures and homes and heritages. They were brought to a place where they were beaten or killed for trying to keep those cultures alive. After a while, our African cultures had been forgotten. A new culture, which tended to be directly related to our race and the treatment of having Black bodies in the United States, formed out of necessity. That is where the difference lies.
Everyday how I appreciate my culture and heritage changes. Three years ago it was accepting my fro as beautiful. Six years ago I stopped seeing my skin tone as devalue to my existence. This year it's helping Black kids see those facts earlier than I did.
P.S. You all should be ready for some listicles on my favorite Black things or my promotion of Black things. Too excited for this!