So what does it mean to be unashamedly Black? First and foremost it means that we accept our African heritage. Imagine an experience so devastating that generations have no knowledge of their origins at the same time that they experience rejection in their new-found homeland. Imagine what it would take for Jews to forget their religion or for Latinos to forget which country they came from. What is a Jew without religion or a Mexican without Mexico?
Whites seem to think that Black history began with slavery, a time when African Americans were dominated by Whites. It is not in our interest to identify solely with this period in our history. We also have to work hard to overcome any inclination to be ashamed of this dark period in our past. Whites are white no matter where they go but Blacks are only black in mixed company. Within the Black church we are individuals, families, and communities struggling to cultivate a closer relationship with God, to prosper, and to be free.
Freedom for Black America is a state of mind and it is defined as knowing “who you are and whose you are.” It is out of this context that Black liberation theology has evolved. The need to establish a holistic Black value system and sustaining Black identity has shaped the Black religious experience. It has almost nothing to do with White America.
In the mid 20th Century there were large numbers of Blacks that actually believed that Whites were superior. The extreme rhetoric of the Nation of Islam might be considered rather ingenious shock therapy. Our great challenge has been self-hatred that has been reinforced by ignorance of our history prior to slavery and horrific treatment after. The Nation of Islam took on. Black America understands this. Louis Farrakhan is embraced because of his love and devotion to Black America, it has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. Blacks do not embrace Farrakhan as anti-Jew, the attraction is unequivocally pro-Black. This is why in response to his call more than a million Black men traveled to Washington, DC for the Million Man March.
It is one thing to ask Barack Obama to repudiate anti-Semitic remarks made twenty years ago by Lewis Farrakhan, but it is another thing entirely to criticize him for attending a Black Christian church. To translate and understand the Black experience all that White America has to do is take the word Black out of the text. We use it often because it is our code, our way of underscoring our inclusion.
In closing I must add that this is the first time in my adult life that I have been really proud of my country. It is the first time that I have felt that my country has moved beyond race to character and qualifications. It is the first time that I have believed that a Black man could become president and it has never been a question of ability but rather opportunity. This does not mean that I have not been proud of my country in the past but it is a beautiful feeling and an amazing experience to think that finally race does not matter.
