a little something i wrote… (pt. 8)
Am I a Basic Black Boy —
Am I a basic black boy? What do you mean by BASIC? If I get into Harvard University, Yale or Princeton would that be surprising? So many see me for my color and not my potential. If I’m so basic, how would you describe Elijah McCoy, Frederick Jones, and Jesse Owens? They all look like me and had similar goals and dreams. If anything, they are the direct opposite of basic. They went above and beyond with their life goals and achievements. Many African-Americans have had to fight to keep their dreams alive, to be the first to accomplish their goals.
Why do African-Americans celebrate the 4th of July? That wasn’t the day of freedom for all people, was it? Did you know that June 19, 1865, was the day of freedom for African Americans? The Civil War ended and slavery was abolished. In my deep heritage, that day holds honor and triumph.
I follow the path of African Americans who were determined to be trailblazers. Men who were willing to no stop, to dream, to strive no matter the obstacles. Did you know that Jan Ernst Matzeliger saved every penny that he had to buy parts for his machine that he created called the shoe-lasting machine? It was a machine used to put shoes together faster. Although people thought that he was a joke, did that stop him? No, it didn’t, around 1883 he received a patent for his invention, the first automatic shoe lasting the machine.
Do you know who Dr. Charles Richard Drew is and what he did? He was an American physician, surgeon, and medical researcher. He worked mainly with blood and blood products, he was the first person to find out how to separate blood from plasma. A life-saving procedure. He received a lot of money and his career was great until the U.S. army told him that he needed to separate white and black blood. He refused and said “there are only two ways to separate blood, by blood type and blood group. In the face of blatant discrimination, he refused to let that stop him.
So close your eyes and think of student A: He wants to attend Columbia University, wants to get accepted to an elite private high school, wants to be a scientist or lawyer, enjoys to listen to 80’s R&B and Classical music, speaks 2 languages and is being raised by a single mother. Now imagine Student B: He lives in poverty, is involved with illegal activities, listens to ridiculously loud music with foul language, wears sagging pants, skips school, gets bad grades, and doesn’t care if he lives or dies tomorrow. Now, look at me, which student am I? And should I be ashamed of who I am?
From now on I want the world to think every time they think about someone being too black or too different, what about you? How do people see you? Do you match your stereotype?
