Changed Narrative Campaign - Installment III - Standing Firm in Solidarity

Black unity. It has been described in numerous ways, from fearsome and threatening to extraordinary and necessary. Yet, over the years, it’s become a myth of our own making. With chants of, “You’re not Black enough!” ringing in the ears of young Black children and adults alike, we continue to fortify the roadblocks and hurdles that keep us from lasting change.

In trying to define what it means to be Black and creating a tiered definition for each “kind” of Black person there is (e.g., LGBT, lightskin/darkskin, African/Caribbean/Afro-Latino, male/female, conservative/liberal, private/public schooling, etc…) we’ve ended up judging one another for being closer to or further away from true Blackness–the “accepted” definition of what it means to be Black. Meanwhile, our oppressors see only just another “n***er”.

I’d like to share a kindred konvo I had with @kharicrooms a few weeks ago. I hope this conversation speaks to you and that it inspires you to start your own #kindredkonvos with your own family members, friends, and peers:

Khari: People are afraid to get comfortable being uncomfortable in terms of who they associate with. That’s why racism continues to exist today.

Alexa: The key is finding comfort in vulnerability. We are baring our necks when we share our stories and that is terrifying because we are trusting our truths to not be judged. When we are told or when it is implied that “we are not Black enough”, it’s like a deep cut into our personhood. It’s like, “I just told you my story and where I’m from and you’re going to belittle that?”. That’s traumatizing after a while because it erodes our willingness to open up. If everyone’s encapsulated themselves in their own armor, how can a true community be built? A true, resilient community is built when we’ve opened ourselves to each other and weaved bonds between our truths... not burned them.

Khari: There’s no way you can build a community if you aren’t comfortable with accepting Black people from all walks of life.

Alexa: Based on the definition of each one, you are closer to or further away from the “accepted” definition of what it means to be Black. We are in-fighting, thus blinding ourselved to what matters. It’s such a simple tactic: distract the enemy by turning them against each other so you may attain whatever they stood in the way of you acquiring. It’s what these white supremacist institutions are doing. We are separating amongst ourselves and aren’t seeing all that is going on around us that is happening against us.

Khari: Regardless of us always being in competition with each other and trying to one up each other, white people have and will forever see us as just n*ggas.

(Note: This is a paraphrasing of our actual conversation, not a series of exact quotations)

This self-segregation blinds us to the racist politics in our peripheral and allows our oppressors to continue business as usual. It’s a distraction. If you are Black, you are Black. Recognize that their knee is on your neck just as much as it is on mine, hers, his, and their’s.

Work collectively. Rejoice collectively. Protect collectively.