Blows, Strikes and Opinions

Domestic violence and the reactions to incidents will always be controversial. The outsiders will never know the full story even with surveillance video of the incident. Reactions are opinions, educated and uneducated guesses pertaining to the known facts. With recent cases in the NFL, celebrities and close to home incidents, we as a species are analyzing the moment a bit closer. There are many people who can relate to the history of domestic violence and the effects it can have on one’s psyche. The people in the spotlight are highlighted and may give the average person flashbacks of similar moments. Domestic violence has never been a new issue.

People tend to look to blaming one of the parties involved. There will be arguments of one provoking the other or one having a violent history. In my opinion, all violence is deeply rooted and stems from somewhere. Outsiders also tend to personalize the situation in order to feel sympathy. Opinions will always finagle its way in controversial domestic violence incidents. Some ideas may be valid and some are downright outlandish. Our opinions are based off of views and we tend to see both sides but settle on what we deemed the right side. Men tend to side with men when all of the details are unknown and the same goes for women siding with women. Men may personalize the incident and choose the side of the woman when they have a strong relationship with a woman in their lives. The majority of people would rather know the whole story if they really cared about the situation.

Child abuse and discipline are different types of domestic violence. The Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been suspended for disciplining or abusing (however you may see it) his child with a switch. The media called it a branch but those who have had time with a switch know it’s just a really big twig. People who have been disciplined with a switch and in their opinion see no problem with the incident. That was the case until they found out the child was four years old. The opinion changes and the opinionated will most likely change their initial statement. Where does the lines of child abuse and discipline blur? Every parent has a different technique when it comes to doling out discipline to their children but some do go overboard. Authorities may intervene on the cases of horrific abuse. An issue I have with the Adrian Peterson case is the fact that Nike, a former endorser of the running back dropped him from his deal but they are notorious for child labor in foreign countries. People only look at the surface and not deeper. There will always be more to the issue than meets the eye.

Opinions creep their way into every bit of controversy. The ones dishing out the harshest criticism are usually throwing stones at glass houses. An example of those stones is a situation where the opinionated may act different from what they believe another person should have. Our thoughts don’t always belong on subjects we are not directly connected. If you must place your opinion on a topic, be objective and thoughtful. Before you form an opinion, ask yourself, “Why do I care?”

My Killing Rage

Elementary school teachers drilled the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. and his philosophy of nonviolence in my impressionable mind. Middle and high school teachers introduced the “by any means necessary” ode of Malcolm El-Hajj Shabazz (Malcolm X). Undergrad abandoned me and forced me to survive on my own through the autobiography of Assata Shakur. Life opened a grave new spectrum, filled with anger, inequality, injustice and a fading history. Day to day activities held police brutality, racism and sexism. Each aspect of my growth enhanced my killing rage.

Yes, we have come a long way from slavery but blacks are still looked at as three-fifths human. We have proven time and time again our capabilities of being seen as equal but there is embedded hatred for our uprising. bell hooks' essay “Killing Rage” has inspired me to express my own rage toward the white male patriarchal system and its continued oppression. Black men have the "John Henry" effect where even the scrawny are seen to have the ability to beat the machine. The sharp number of ignorant whites and blacks have fed the system of what we are living today. The education system is the first wave of artillery.

The implementation of the federal “No Child Left Behind Act” has started the destruction of an importance of creativity and the wonderment of imagination. The average parent is now forced to work an eight hour shift and fill-in the massive blanks that the education system is starting to leave out. After-school programs are getting cut, the arts are being excess from the budget and passing a test is more important than a real history lesson. Everything is systematic if we like it or not. There is always a means to an end. The powers that be are creating efforts to change and modify education are not doing it with a kind heart. There are no lessons that teach real world experiences and the ability to create your own.

Our past heroes had the right idea pertaining to integration but we had to succumb to the education system that omitted our history. We had to assimilate into a society that didn't care about the outcome of our intelligence. Years passed by of continued brainwashing and subliminal messages, clouding the judgment and leaving an impression on our youth. I have noticed that the disconnection between society and those in charge is unreal. People want us to see things as colorless but blackness is reminded in every negative way possible. Our positive images are infiltrated and the chosen few have become brainwashed.

Why does every day have to be a fight when it comes to embracing culture?

What exactly is the right way?

Every individual has a unique definition of normal and shouldn't be afraid to embrace their existence. The poor neighborhoods are ransacked with patrol cars and beat cops. The search for every infraction is magnetized in the “slums.” Rich crime is overlooked and to the masses seems as if crime can be paid off.

Why is the poor under attack from those who are supposed to protect and serve?

To be poor in the United States is to be criminalized and condemned by the powers that be. I wonder how can an officer of the law who may have been born in a poor neighborhood and environment surrender to persecuting their people. We are being taught to fend for self and to leave the community behind.

Where did we lose our humanity?

Where is the pay it forward attitude of the past?

Civil rights leaders were not thinking standards during their fight. They were focused on changing the future. Within changing the future something went awry and we’re faced with this present police nation. The thing that perplexes me the most is the people who don’t want to see the connection with race. They are the people who side with happenstance when the numbers show facts and coincidence.

There will always be questions with so many and no answers. We have to prepare for the future and the ones will obtain the power of change. My killing rage may or may not be justified but I, like the community of Ferguson, am tired of the injustice and inequality. Embrace your killing rage, be the change you want to see and pay it forward.

What I Am Made Of

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, W.I.

I have been told that I'm neglecting a part of me. I have been neglecting something "that I am made of." I was born to an immigrant mother and father making me first generation American. My biological father wasn't around while I was growing up. I had a father figure who wasn't the best but did just enough to leave an impression. My mother flew from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, West Indies in 1977 embarking on something different. I was born 10 years later to her and my two older brothers. Her background is my heritage. My grandmother was born in Saint Vincent and her grandmother hailed from Calcutta, India.

I always have been enticed for fighting for the equal treatment of my race, gender and to all inequality. Most of my essays are about fighting the good fight and living as a cohesive unity of people. A good friend of mine, who is of Indian descent via the South American country of Guyana, always seems to point out my non-acknowledgment of my Indian heritage. Maybe I have been a little shortsighted and only focused on my Blackness but I know that in order for me to know my truth I must fight for all of me.

Calcutta (Kolkata), India

Calcutta or Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal in India. It is a world in itself. It is the center of East India and home to 4.5 million people. The first record of the history of Calcutta is from 1690. Calcutta seemed to always have been the business center of East Indian because it is where most trading went on. The richness of the city has rooted it as a metropolis.With the rise of invasions and occupying of land in the 1850's, Calcutta was split in two: Black Town and White Town. Black Town housed Indians and of course Blacks while White Town consisted of the invader British. Already industrious and business-centered, there was a boom in industrial growth and natural resource causing the British to invest in the city's continued growth. Eventually Calcutta became the center of the fight for independence from any type of foreign rule. 

After the city's victory of it's independence it began to flourish and maintain on its own. During World War II the city was bombed by the Japanese causing grave damage to the city's infrastructure. This lead to the downhill factors of living during the time. Millions of people starved to death and thousands killed from the tug-of-war of power between people who craved solitary rule. Calcutta was dubbed, "the dying city," during its time of despair. The people there were resilient though. The city would become a base for Indian communism and build from within its walls. 

I don't know when my great-great grandmother left Calcutta and ventured to the West Indian island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Her family had a reason for the move and so is life. In Saint Vincent a young woman of Indian descent started her life and had children. One of her daughters will eventually give birth to my mother. My mother spent her childhood and part of her adulthood around contact of her lineage. She was able to listen to the stories and the wisdom that comes with age. I have passed down tales and actual moments from vague memories. Even with the little information, I wouldn't trade knowing something for anything in the world. 

One day while working, an Ethiopian woman asked me if was Ethiopian and of course I said no. Coincidence is a crazy thing and that moment stuck on my mind. I told my mother of the incident and she would go on to tell me Indians migrated to Ethiopia. This new information made me wonder just what else is my truth. There will always be so much to learn when it comes to an individual's history, we just have to accept that we didn't get here alone. Our ancestors went through worse conditions than we did because of the lack of technology and advanced knowledge but they knew how to survive and maintain.       

Here I am writing about what I am made of. This is me writing about a part of me that I have neglected over time. It isn't to appease my friend but to come to terms with my truth. In order to know who you are truly you must embrace every part of you. I'm sure there is more to the lineage but this is one that is still with me to this day. Eventually the blood will dilute, the lineage would get further away and each new generation will forget.

Never be afraid to embrace who you are. It is important to know your history. Be the representative of "what you are made of."

Civil Rights and Women's Rights

The racism of white women during the 1950s and 1960s, when the Civil Rights Bill was being pushed was seen as if they were the main reason of it passing. The suffrage movement wasn't for all women. It wasn't for equality and the bill prioritizing race wasn't sufficient for the backers. The racism of Susan B. Anthony and Martha Griffiths has not been blown to a point where their legacies are touched. They are deemed as fighters for the rights of all women. Yet, they were shamed at the fact that black men and women would receive more rights than them. The plan was then devised to ride the coat tail of the Civil Rights Act.

Even to this day, the Feminist/Women's Movement isn't for the equality of all women. The only change may be the decrease of blatant racism and superiority of race. The underlying subtleties are still enough for a small type of segregation. Although the guise is an organization full of unity there still lies a discrepancy.

I have recently began to delve deep in the feminist movement. I started by imposing my opinion on Black Feminism and Woman's History Month. Through my research for each topic I have seen an inequality. Feminism is merely an umbrella for women who are activists for rights. There is a separation between race and orientation yet we are all women. Shouldn't we all be fighting for the same cause rather than taking on "priority" issues one at a time. There is Black Feminism, Transgender Feminism, Queer Feminism and other subdivisions that aren't covered by the main topic.

White feminism seems to outrule the subdivisions. Yes, race and other factors shouldn't separate or deter from the cause but in reality it does. There are issues that just can't relate to a subdivision of feminism.  A black woman may not encounter the same problem as a white woman and therefore leads to either miscommunication or misrepresentation.

It makes me wonder if unity is inevitable or just a dream. Can feminist unity be a real thing any where in the world? We may not even touch the surface of answering this question when the stigma of women united is fearful. There are negative words and thoughts thrown at united women causing the preposterous of obstacles. Women's rights are also civil rights but when discrimination within the unity of all equality comes from those who should be fighting for all then it becomes an issue of integrity.

There is a myth behind the reality of truly equal feminism as there is that of civil rights. In my opinion true equal feminism has a small probability of taking off. There are too many factors to overcome when starting the conversation. The thought of it is great but actually implementing the ideas are a heavy task. I wish for fully equal feminism as well as civil rights but the discussion has to come together like the people willing to see the day.

Let us release every bit of discrimination for fighting for true equality. Let us stand up and fight the good fight for all.

Morals and Human Sexuality Pt. 2

“Sexuality is one of the ways we become enlightened, actually because it leads us to self-knowledge,” –Alice Walker

There are children who are opting to please parents when it comes to forging their own path. There are civil wars going on within between the conscience and the soul. In defining yourself you have accepted your truth and not the fallacy. It is to know every intricate aspect of personality and mirroring it so the masses can see what you perceive.

The explanation of how morals affect human sexuality results in ambiguity. There will always be a personal answer to the question yet no correct answer. Morality is what shapes our personality and the decisions we make. Adding the factor of sexuality and our choices of sexual freedom we tend to choose based on taught values. People define their sexuality based on societal ways of thinking. Recently people are starting to recognize and embrace their truth, leading to personal revolutions.

“Sexuality is fluid. It moves freely in and out of the universe. It’s contingent upon energy and character. Sexuality isn’t based on gender or orientation. I’m queer, always have been. I was taught that there was a binary gender paradigm but I do not adhere to that. I don’t believe that sexuality is a binary concept, but a spectrum. I choose not to adhere to a hetero-normative lifestyle or society.”

“Sexuality isn’t something to be figured out. It is something that grows with you and manifests itself in your being in the most comfortable way. Sexuality is stage that one embraces naturally when they are ready to open up that part of themselves. I can’t say wholeheartedly that my environment per say had shaped my views on sexuality but my morals most definitely. My morals shape my life, how I ought to function and how I treat myself and others. I guess in regards to my sexuality, my morals has led me to create an energy in myself that attracts like souls to explore in the most healthy and respectable way. The universe allows it so that I am able to learn every lesson that comes my way.”

In regards to opposition, sexual revolutions are distasteful if not in the right accordance. In the article, “When Sexuality Goes Feral,” by Bill Muehlenberg he states, “The disastrous consequences of the sexual revolution continue to unfold and be fully displayed to a world losing the ability to even be shocked anymore.” He continues, “Everyone is harmed by this massive social experiment, but it is often our children who are the biggest losers. The destruction of this sexual tsunami shows no signs of aborting and it will only likely get much worse in the days ahead.” Muehlenberg even touches on a person’s personal choice of who to love. “Of course much of this is driven by the militant homosexual lobby and their efforts to destroy marriage and family and even the very idea of biological sexuality. For them one’s sex is purely a matter of social construction and biology has nothing to do with who we are as sexual beings.”

Feral is defined as having returned to an untamed state from domestication or existing in a wild or untamed state. Why does anything need to be tamed in the first place and who is authorized to do such? To define sexuality based on opinion of ignorance is an injustice. People are more inclined to private revolutions in fear of public shaming rather than embrace the essence of who they truly are.

The stigma of having sexual freedom is from those who have fear of doing the same. Although we try to be people who are unfazed by judgment, the responses from others dictate our doings either way. In elaboration, the need for labels and categories for those who are inclined to go against what is deemed normal. Here in fact is where morality and values are the prominent players. These two indicators are what shape the personality of the judged and ones doing the judging.

“For me, sexuality is ever evolving. I’m right in the middle of living this right now and the evolution of my morals through a changing environment is crucial to that. I’ve come to understand they go hand in hand. Sexuality is a really complex and beautiful thing.”

“Sexuality for me is the foundation of life (love, happiness, artistic expression, etc.) and all creations there in. it is the most possibly powerful interaction between individuals with the correct composition of compatibility with one another. Media influence, irresponsibility and ignorance have torn from the genuine eroticism of the natural and explorative act itself, but when between people who respect it and the power it yields; it is the closest physically spiritual experience you can share with someone.”

It is by any means a personal choice and preference of how we choose to explore and display our sexuality individually. Some find strength within discovering what frees them and others are quite as comfortable. There will always be opposition in every situation that involves a choice. How can we permeate right from wrong when there isn’t an ultimate answer? How do the choices of someone else affect how you live your life? These questions should be asked when judging others on their decisions and choices. Everyone has their own set morals in place, let’s respect their decisions and love one another unconditionally.

Morals and Human Sexuality pt. 1

Morals of Human Sexuality

Intertwined in the intricate design of life is morality and sexuality. Human sexuality has been under the microscope of individual and mass understanding. Comfortability in expressing sexuality is a soul-searching process. Morals play a prominent role in following one’s heart. Understanding sexuality is the beginning of what a person will become. Personal sexual revolutions are waged every minute. There is a person who is fighting a war that may have unpredictable outcomes. Michel Foucault attempts to give a definition to “morality.” He states, “By ‘morality’ one means a set of values and rules of action that are recommended to individuals through the intermediary of various prescriptive agencies such as the family (in one of its roles), educational institutions, churches and so forth.”

Our upbringing tends to play a role in accepting sexuality. We are taught the life of the American dream, a house, marriage, family, pets and car. We are never told of the obstacles, but hard work and obtain your goals. One of our first internal battles is with puberty. We don’t understand the psychological and emotional signals that the body is relaying. Sexuality matures and develops from explorations and experiences. One theory elaborates on the development of a child not being understood and the truest form of understanding the development of sexuality is from the individual and their environment. To be self-aware and self-accepting of sexuality is to be aware of personal beliefs. Marriage is the ultimate goal and of positive morality, it is what’s taught and accepted once learned.

The “right from wrong” mentality diminishes any other out of the ordinary thinking. Modern thoughts on morality are more open and individuals are showing more self-esteem. The rebellious nature of the sexual revolution has seen an exploration of great amounts. There have been rules of conduct to control sexual freedom and set moral standards for appropriate behavior. Human sexuality shows the relation between love and pleasure. Michel Foucault stated, “It is apparent that the deployment of sexuality with its different strategies, was what established this notion of “sex”; and in the four major forms of hysteria, onanism, fetishism and interrupted coition, it showed sex to be governed by the interplay of whole and part, principle and lack, absence and presence, excess and deficiency, by the function of instinct, finality and meaning, of reality and pleasure.”

Pleasure plays a key role in that of sexuality, thus we search for specific forms which we will be content. Although our specific pleasure forms are moral-based we subject ourselves to judgment. Do we obtain through sex our moral and pleasure filled needs? We discover the likes of the body, identity and the domination of sexual acts on our cognition. Sex is subordinate to sexuality. With women, the taught definition of virginity is the greatest honor of all moral. To be pure and the womb untouched shows the lack of sexual experience and personal revolution but also can be shown as strength and good. “Virginity” for men has a negative outlook and a lower moral value. There is a high sense of sexual freedom that comes from losing “virginity” and an empowerment that feeds the greedy ego.

Morals are a taught trait but they are also susceptible to change. Our parents and environment are our teachers from the beginning, as we grow we are able to feel what is right from wrong individually. From there we are able to determine our sexuality. To be comfortable in expressing sexuality is a soul-searching process. The presence of morals coincides with the search for answers. Our morals architect the build of our lives. Sexuality is the prominent force of beginning to understand who a person will become.

The moral aspect of sexuality takes the meaning to another level. We tend to base everything off of the values that build us to be productive human beings and in that can be insecurity.  We may never appreciate the higher values of life that we can obtain because of reluctance. Ultimately we have to come to terms of who we are and love the person who is our true self. Sexuality is the one of the greatest ways of embracing the phenomenon.

My Brief Opinion on Women's History Month

Women’s history isn’t taught as a part of history in our general education endeavors. There are the few women we have stumbled across like, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth and maybe a little of Joan of Ark. Although there is a plethora of history propagated to women, we haven’t heard the whole story.

Women’s rights were always to be fought for regardless of time. As stated on Wikipedia, in regards to Women’s History, “History was written mainly by men and about men's activities in the public sphere—war, politics, diplomacy and administration. Women are usually excluded and, when mentioned, are usually portrayed in sex-stereotypical roles, such as wives, mothers, daughters and mistresses.” In the Bible, the Old Testament, we have the book of Ruth where Ruth is shown to be submissive and playing the role a woman should. Her sister is seen as a rebel to the traditional role of a woman and is shunned by the men.

There aren’t many advertisements honoring Women’s History in the month of March. It’s as though women gracing the cover of magazines and being the main characters, besides the product, in commercials is enough and their isn’t a need for just a bit more for the month. We need better education on the history of women and more motivation to create history for future women to thrive better. The majority of people don’t know about the existence of Women’s History Month. I know, as individuals, we have our own personal problems to worry about but we are affected by social issues as a whole.

Action needs to be taken. We spend our downtime complaining about the pitfalls of our day but don’t think of a solution. What will be your solution when women are no longer able to be seen as equal counterparts? As a woman, know your history. You must know the victories as to how you arrived where you are today. Know the history of how women gained acknowledgement in male-dominated workplaces. Know the history of the women that endured the worst parts of the movement so the women we are today is the best woman we can be or even better.

I’m still learning about everything that I possibly can, especially on women. I know enough to know that I don’t know everything but I have some type of knowledge. This is my brief opinion on Women’s History Month and my continued call to women to uplift each other and become a collective. Knowing your history will give one the ability to forge a greater future. “I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.” –Audre Lorde

My Mind on Music

Music is a universal language. The way we conceptualize music as individuals can show a great deal of our character. The mood from the type of music sets off feeling whether dealing with low-self esteem or uplifting their target audience. The choice of music lies in the power of our own ears. The variety of genres allow for free will, (yes we consider music a godly entity) and predestination. Music can be broken down into parts to create a song. Lyrics tend to persuade the listener to continue to listen to a particular genre. Words construct buildings of imagination and lay a foundation of thought. When rhythm, melody and words are infused, it’s a form of hypnotism and influence. Although we have the choice of which music to listen, we cannot hide from the words entailed. Thus our choice of music has some control over our everyday lives. The lyrics may give a day to day account of the listener.

For the youth, whose mind is very impressionable, the lyrics need to be censored. I am not asking for censorship from freedom of speech, I am asking for stronger vigilance against derogatory and inappropriate language. The creators of the lyrics seem to dismiss their importance of being an influence. What appropriates such carefree attitudes among artists whose voice may be the only constant in the life of a youth? What is the reason behind glorifying the negatives when the positives are somewhat attainable? Who as music lovers are we to hold accountable for the lyrical content without losing the integrity of free speech?

Many questions arise from the struggle to regain the integrity and essence of the art form of music. My focus is music’s impressionable control over the youth. From recent experience with a group of suspended seventh graders, who the majority was black, in the New York City Board of Education system, lyrical content shaped their everyday thinking. The students’ main choice of music was Hip Hop and their favorite artist was a teenager with their same mind state, Chief Keef. The artist’s lyrical content was filled with the glorification of being rich and defying their social norms. The students seemed to think drugs, sex and money is the gateway to successful and comfortable lifestyle. Although once upon a time, Hip Hop music was deeply frowned upon with the emergence of Gangsta Rap , that focused more on societal issues, these days it is more “monkey see, monkey do:” effect. Of course instead of showing true talent, those who are impressionable are more exposed.

The genre of Hip Hop/Rap seems to stray away from talented and well thought out lyrics to focus on the individual with the most exposure. It seems the lines between talent and influence have become gravely separated. There are positive lyrics from the Hip Hop/Rap culture but that has the lowest exposure, if any. These seventh graders were exposed to the genres of R&B, Soul and Pop but Hip Hop/Rap of which they listened to failed to have emotion. “Hate Being Sober” by Chief Keef, a song they replayed over and over glorified the effects of drinking alcohol and the feel better of being inebriated.

As an adolescent we all went through the phase of rebellion and going against the wishes of our parents but in the times of social media, it is magnified. The fruits of labor are shown in abundance but in reality it doesn’t equate to the musician’s finances, especially in Hip-Hop/Rap. The form started as an expression, which it still is, but now there seems to be less art to it. Adding in the country’s state of economy and the rush to preserve wealth or make easy, fast money, many of the urban youth choose the path of becoming rappers because of the glorification they are shown. Instead of being taught to work hard and accumulate wealth the youth would rather live beyond their means just to keep up with the images plastered before them. Ultimately it is their choice; their environments have influenced them in some way.

Being a product of their environment is what has been the underlying reason behind the influx of Hip-Hop’s wealthy lifestyle influence. We just have to wait out the phase and hope that the urban youth understands that there is more than just one type of music and the world has a vast wealth of knowledge. A mentor is always the key to having a positive influence. Exposure to more than one genre of music can lead to exploring many different levels of knowledge. Life itself is a constant learning process and the generation after is always different from the one before. The mistakes made may remain the same and so will the hope of a better future. Ultimately I want the music culture as whole to produce scholars, thinkers and positive influences. We all have emotions and forms of expression, I hope for improvement even if it is slow. Slow and steady does win the race.  

Black Feminism

Feminism as a whole is denounced. Black feminism shouldn’t exist. The latter sentiment is implied to the youth. To be a woman in America today is to be the same second class citizen of yesterday. We have shattered glass ceilings only to have them replaced with something stronger. The challenge is to show strength in numbers, unite and overpower the oppressors. Women have been conditioned to oppose unity and engage in like-minded separation. Audre Lorde wrote, “Without community there is no liberation.” The outlook of solidarity is usually met with non-compliance and impatience. What do we, as women, have to do in order to build an indestructible community?

There are so many factors that can cloud reality such as the capitalistic patriarchy, sexual glorification, watered down educational systems and oppressive propaganda. We need solutions with the hopes of a gradual change. This collectiveness is deemed dangerous and powerful so there are large obstacles to repress it. Women are enticed by what a man can do for them or the need to be independent. Places of employment are dismissing the strength of the matriarchy for the male norm. The evolution of the term, bitch, is used to describe a goal-oriented, motivated woman who exudes the same strengths of her male counterparts. Feminism is treated like profanity and plasters a look of disgust on faces. What can we change about this stigma? These questions come to me as I think of solutions. Questions lead to undiscovered answers and more queries.

Black feminism has a place among other civil rights issues. Religion plays a major role within the Black community. In church, women are told to be submissive and take care of the family. The men provide stability and leadership. Although the majority of Black households are single-parent homes, the woman is left to play both roles. Women cannot teach sons to be a man. Women can only teach a man to respect women. As for raising daughters to become successful and productive beings to society, women have to be positive role models. There are many obstacles raising daughters, the role of woman has become broader. Daughters have to learn the same lessons as sons.

Men tend to have more solidarity among themselves than women. A sisterhood is deemed intimidating. Women are inclined to be combative and steamroll over the weaker link. In some cases women in power have the “look-down” effect. In such “effect” women assume to the role of oppressor. Men from the other countries don’t care for the independence of American women. In a discussion with a male Haitian immigrant, he believed women needed managers. This man believed women weren’t capable of a maintaining a household on their own. His interactions with American women gave him reservations. Women are now seen as competition but inexperienced and unskilled workers. The strength of capable women workers are often dismissed because men are apt to cling to old ideas of gender standards.

Black women have an aggressive prejudice about them that men and other women preconceive. It is as if Black women are emotionless, cold, and heartless human beings. We are all made from the same genetic makeup thus we have emotions. We may not show our emotion publicly but behind closed doors our knees are rug-burned from countless prayers to God. Our eyes are desert dry because of the tears we shed every time our children leave the house. Our backs are hunched from working all day then having to take care of the household. Our pride is tucked in our bras because we have to show the children that being tired doesn’t exist.

Black feminism doesn’t seem to exist because it is eclipsed by the prejudice of aggression of the black woman. Unity between women of color is the elephant in the room of the White feminist. It seems we aren’t woman enough to unite against issues that affect the gender as a whole. We are already born with the stacks against us because we are black women. As black women we need to show that we can come together and fight for a cause. We have to magnify our humanity. Once we are given a platform we must shine brighter than the cameras.

There are a plethora of educated black women who can educate poor women of color to see that they are worth more than their environment. There is a world out there yet to be discovered because of glorified ignorance. The media has an absurd amount of effects on the minds of young women of color. We have to storm the gates of the media and flood it with the positive image of women.

We must learn to put differences and attitudes aside in order to uplift each other. Our unity shouldn’t be defined by affiliation or community. Feminist unity should be defined as a culture. We are a culture of women of color who have to merge as a whole to become an indestructible force.