I Am African American
I'm sure a lot of us have dealt with this, but shall we open the discussion of what is means to be Black? Biologically, it's merely due to the amount of melanin in our skin, making us darker than most people. Our facial features and bodily features vary as well, but mostly, are tied to African facial features: wider noses, fuller lips, etc.
In society, however, because we look so different, we have often been looked down upon and opressed in almost every possible way. We have arguably the worst stereotypes attatched to our race than any other race on the planet and every aspect of out lives, from dating to health care is often influenced by these stigmas. Being Black seems to mean (in society's eyes) as being loud, dumb, violent, ignorant, impoverished, a leech on the system and so much more, even leading to more stereotypes about specific skin tones and genders.
But what happens when you don't fit the stereotype? What happens when you are educated, peaceful, and intelligent? People often accuse you of not being "Black enough." I've heard this crap my entire life and as a kid, I wanted to prove to the kids that said I "acted white" that I could fit in with other black people. So I behaved in the way I felt I should in order to be accepted. Eventually, I stopped and I'm glad I did.
What really hurts me is that this stigma exists in our own communities. We've been told we are these horrible things for so long that we can't even see dark skin and low intelligence seperately. Why have we stopped thinking that education and a life out of poverty was only for white people?
In order for us to ever overcome these negative stereotypes, and make a better future for amazing Black people of all skin tones and both genders everywhere, is to realize that we are so much more that we've been told. We have to change out perception of ourselves and then others will follow our example.
Thanks for reading!
In society, however, because we look so different, we have often been looked down upon and opressed in almost every possible way. We have arguably the worst stereotypes attatched to our race than any other race on the planet and every aspect of out lives, from dating to health care is often influenced by these stigmas. Being Black seems to mean (in society's eyes) as being loud, dumb, violent, ignorant, impoverished, a leech on the system and so much more, even leading to more stereotypes about specific skin tones and genders.
But what happens when you don't fit the stereotype? What happens when you are educated, peaceful, and intelligent? People often accuse you of not being "Black enough." I've heard this crap my entire life and as a kid, I wanted to prove to the kids that said I "acted white" that I could fit in with other black people. So I behaved in the way I felt I should in order to be accepted. Eventually, I stopped and I'm glad I did.
What really hurts me is that this stigma exists in our own communities. We've been told we are these horrible things for so long that we can't even see dark skin and low intelligence seperately. Why have we stopped thinking that education and a life out of poverty was only for white people?
In order for us to ever overcome these negative stereotypes, and make a better future for amazing Black people of all skin tones and both genders everywhere, is to realize that we are so much more that we've been told. We have to change out perception of ourselves and then others will follow our example.
Thanks for reading!
By:
StartingOvr18
Age:
18-21
,
Female
