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Practice What You Preach - Black Representation Challenge

THE ORIGINAL POST YOU CAN REBLOG HERE

On August 8th I made a post called "Black Art" about representation.

It was based on a video I saw on the internet by a black creative the challenged us to stop fighting for positive representation by painting white stories black.

The argument they posed was that It gives the false idea that we are represented when in reality we are not. We keep on replaying white stories.

There is the barbie and the black barbie. There is a cinderella and a black cinderella. There is a little mermaid and a black little mermaid.

The beauty standard still remains and although we are being represented it is still a sub-category.

Instead of wanting every white story to be a black version we should instead fill in the gaps in our historical memory and learn about real black queens and queens that would inspire us.

And watch ORIGINAL black movies, black superheroes, black princesses. Real black stories.

They then posed the challenge I recently finished and proposed you do with me:

"To have true representation in the media we need to seek and create our own stories and find our own positive black role models. On our terms.

The video then posed a challenge for me I propose to you as well.

We often speak of being descendants of kings and queens. The challenge: find one black king and queen in African history. Learn about their lives and accomplishments.

See a movie that was written, produced and played by black actors. It can be a movie from any country. There is a variety of them with subtitles.

Search for the history of one African Kingdom (there were many). Read about it. You'll be surprised."

Practice What You Preach - The Challenge: Part 1

- African King

I started the research in my own African country to find queens and kings. The Portuguese claim the island of Sao Tome and Principe was inhabited before they founded it. So there is no record.

But I discovered King Amador. He was a king that rose from revolution. The attempts to erase him were many, but we remember our heroes and celebrate them to this day.

He has his own statue, he is printed in the local money and a holiday is celebrated after him. A snippet of His story below:

King Amador in 1595 gathered half of the black population of the island (at the time enslaved) and led a revolution.

The revolution lasted from July 9th to July 29th where most of the plantations and sugar machinery were destroyed.

He bravely fought 3 battles with a population larger than the colonizers but heavily underarmed. The colonizers also had the help of enslaved men.

The last battle on July 28th was lost, but the sugar plantation and commerce in the island were never the same and declined after.

Read The Full History Here: choose English option on the top left corner

Things I learned:

My people were brave despite how white history describes them. It is ESSENTIAL to seek out history and positive role models in that history. To fill in the memory blanks we have where only the word slavery exists.

Our history did not start there and will not end there. We should learn from it because the biggest impact slavery left - racism - still lives and affects us all.

Even if our life is comfortable and we have access to everything we need, racism in that comfort remains. Knowing our history is our superpower to black empowerment.

One man can change everything. His impact can live on for many years and inspire for decades.

I remembered a quote: "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." - Alice Walker

Imagine if Amilcar Cabral, Patrice Lumumba, King Amador or anyone who fought for independence thought they had no power. They would be right on the side of the colonizer.

Many times we choose not to try because we think it is too hard. Remember that our ancestors had to get through so that we can be free today.

Recognize racism, how it looks like, and how it manifests. Education does not stop discrimination but it stops you from believing it. From self-hate.

Our power today lies in self-empowerment. In education, in advocating for change and justice in whichever amount we can.

Maybe it's a like on anti-racist content, maybe it's writing an email. Supporting a black-owned business or protesting. Setting boundaries at home and work from colourism speech. All those levels are powerful.

Don't be afraid to be your black self. It will inspire others to do the same.

In the fight for black freedom and emancipation, there are those who rather join the side of the oppressor for their own individual comfort. Not everyone is pro-black. Recognize their speech and actions. Don't be fooled. Act accordingly.

Part 2 Coming Soon - African Queen