When people approach me they notice two very
distinctive things about my physique one that I am abnormally tall and large in
stature, two that the completion of my skin is very dark. Now, I love my skin
and hair and embrace the culture that comes with it, I enjoy the very rich
history that is bestowed on me when I came in this world as a dark skinned man
but as much as I enjoy the heavy roots of my history that is connected all
through my melanin rich skin I can not say it hasn’t caused me a plethora of hardship
and more responsibilities. Once I was asked what does being black mean to me? I
replied “ Being black means to me that we have to try harder go further and do
more than the average man or woman it also means that we are going to have to
have more responsibilities and have higher expectations because of our
background of needing education to thrive in this world and present ourselves
with a greater amount of poise. It’s that pressure that is forced upon us that
makes being black a struggle as well with the racial injustices and the
prejudices cases that African Americans face makes it even worse. Now I am not
saying that my melanin is horrible and I wish I could change my skin my message
to convey is that I don’t have the same privileges nor leeway or in certain
cases or rights because of my skin and I face stereotypes for things that I
have no control over for example that I got to be playing basketball in order
for me to be successful or that I am a thug, hoodlum because I have a durag on
my head to lay down my hair that is my natural hair, the list goes on and on
and we have heard it all we have seen it all. But as a black man I can tell you
one thing that my melanin comes with pride and perseverance and the tools to
rise above the negativity and prejudice that comes with it.
Find the shape and tell it!
34 comments:
Great job with your blob post it is well written! Your pride for your culture is very inspiring. Even with your struggles, you continue to look past them and strive.
I love this! We African Americans have faced slavery, to the Civil War, segregation, police brutality, etc. in America alone. As a black woman, I face stereotypes like, "Is your hair real" or "Can I touch your hair?" Us back people sometimes have to work harder to get to our goals because some people see color, instead of qualities.
I truly admire your honesty within this post it truly represents what our culture faces everyday weather it's our hair,the complexion of our skin and so much more. But I really appreciate the time you took to express how you feel and the importance of sharing your everyday experience.
I admire the pride you take in your background it's incredibly beautiful and i love the honesty you put into this,you put into words what i believe most of us who come from this background are all thinking. Beautifully written and well said David.
David, knowing you for as long as I have, I've personally seen you come more comfortable in your own skin. You are now this tall, mature, confident man. I love that you used this as your topic because and expressed your point of view. I enjoyed this piece very much! Love the person you've become!
-Tori Esquivel P.2
David! I love reading this because it shows how society is these days and hows it makes one another feel insecure about themselves, and you on the other hand embrace every part of your self. You have so much pride in who you are and your culture it truly is amazing.
breanna c.
period 5
Wow bro, I am glad that you wrote this for everybody to see. Even though this is the sad truth nowadays it is just the fact of the matter. Keep doing what you're doing and walking in your skin with pride. Great talk, David.
Good job David! This piece made me really happy since I know how prideful you are in your culture and how confident you truly are. I'm glad that you love yourself and your roots since it sometimes is difficult for us to accept, I know there were times I felt ashamed of being asian, but after reading your piece I know that I need to take more pride in who I was born as.
Great job! I love how you embrace and take pride in your culture and I think that is one of the most courageous things anyone can do, amazing work!
David, I am glad you were able to find the comfort and confidence within your own skin. It is struggle almost every person of color has experienced at some point in their lifetime. However, the fact that you stated how you overcame your initial insecurities and turned it into a source of strength and pride is really inspirational to those experiencing the same struggle. I believe that it is important we demonstrate how we love ourselves and are self-assured in order to continue to bring back the faith that was once taken away from black culture. Excellent job.
I found your story very interesting to your read because it was coming from your own viewpoints. Everyone has their struggles in life and I like how you've been able to overcome them in order to better yourself. I agree that a person's race should not determine who they are as a person and I respect the fact that your able to rise from the hate. Great job David!
Great job David! I understand your explanation of how stereotypes are and when there are people that think you follow that stereotype. Dont give up on being natural and following your culture!
I enjoyed reading about the pride that you have for your culture as it was very inspiring and the way that you shot down the stereotypes was very well written as well, great blog David!
Being black, I agree on your stance of the challenges we face every day. Your piece was real and to the point. Thank you for reminding me to be proud of my culture and to persevere!
-Joseph Madere Period 1
I love the rawness of this, it is such a great great thing that you are comfortable as well as confident in yourself. It's refreshing on hearing someone else's point of view since I only hear how my cousins see it. This is great! Always be prideful of who you are!!
THIS WAS SO GREAT. I wish this was somewhere I can post so others can see this because this was so inspiring there was so much passion behind your words. It’s wonderful that you take pride in your culture and who your are. Society has this negative idea about people the darker thier skin gets and you realize this. Overall a great piece.
Avalon Freeman
Pd.2
This was an amazing piece David! I love how you don't sugar coat your feelings and are able to be real and genuine with the reader in your writing. As a young, black woman I can definitely agree that my skin color has been the root to most struggles I've endured, and the discrimination has become even more prevalent as I grown older. Thank you for sharing your point of view as a black male, and the struggles that you've endured!
-Destiny Freeman
This is very true. Some people undermine the importance of race and ethnicity in society today, but it cannot be ignored. We are all impacted by bias and prejudice on a regular basis (often done subconsciously and not out of malice) even if we are considered "privileged". Thank you so much for sharing your story.
The fact that you bring the harsh truth to the table and don’t hold back is what makes it truly inspiring to read. In the end a change in prejudice and discrimination is what we as a society should focus on. What a great piece!
I liked how real and raw this piece was. I agree with you that being black is hard as you're constantly dealing with ignorant people in the world and work harder to get your voice heard. What I liked most about this piece was that you embrace who you are and you didn't victimize yourself.
I really enjoyed this piece a lot. So many people feel the same way about the topic and I loved how you put the truth out there in your own opinion. I like how personal and genuine it is because it shows empowerment and gives inspiration to others. Good Job!
-Mia Tolliver
Period 1
I love how you embrace who you are David. Its good to see things like this out there for everyone to see. Im glad that you stand up for being black and you fight this stereotype. Great submission!
David there is so much truth behind your words and I completely agree that being black there is always going to be an exception to go further in life because you have to prove society wrong. You have to show that black men and woman are smart and can succeed in life without ending up in jail. It sucks but that the life that we live in . Great Job David!!!
I admire this piece so much for many reasons. I'm glad to see you so happy and comfortable in your skin,the sensory detail was used beautifully to describe your dark skin tone as well as highlighting the hardships of being in your very own skin. Thank you for bringing attention to topics that not everyone is exposed to.
This was sooo good! I loved the truth this writing help in it. I really enjoyed reading how proud you are of your culture and the pride you have. Great Job!
-Vanessa Fernandez period 5
I am so happy you decided to write on this topic David. I appreciate that you opened up and really let us know what you experience as an African American man. You are going places David and I am so proud of you. Continue to beat the odds and prove everyone wrong.
This piece is so great! You've always been so confident in yourself and I'm really glad that you are. I love how you take pride in your culture, great job!
This was an amazing piece David, I loved how real you are with your story and about the pride and responsibility that comes with your skin color.
Great job David! You did an amazing job with highlighting the stuggles people of color face daily. I love how you bluntly but effectively got the point across and brought awareness to what a “day in the life” truly looks like. I think it’s amazing how you embraced yourself for who you really are and learning to love your shade.
Great job David! You did an amazing job with highlighting the stuggles people of color face daily. I love how you bluntly but effectively got the point across and brought awareness to what a “day in the life” truly looks like. I think it’s amazing how you embraced yourself for who you really are and learning to love your shade.
David this piece is so strong and beautiful, I admire how real and personal you are throughout the entire post. Black is beautiful and I couldn't be happier that you not only found confidence but comfort in your skin. I appreciate your straight forward attitude about the sad topic of discrimination, but unfortunately it seems to be getting worse. Overall, very great post this was one to remember.
I find it really amazing that you were willing to put this story out there and share it from the world. I mean I already knew these struggles existed within the black community, and particularly with black men, however not every man is the same. So it was really cool to hear your perspective upon it. I'm proud that you're proud of who you are. Great job David!
This post hit me right in the heart because I can sympathize with it so much. As a black kid who could pass as a man, there was a lot of prejudices and similar things I had to put up with. It's crazy how differently a black kid is seen as they get older, we're treated as some menace in society and its ridiculous. Good job on the heartfelt post.
It makes me ecstatic to hear that you are happy in your skin. i agree that you have a heavy responsibility to do better in education because of the roots of your family and skin color. I think you did a fantastic job expressing your point.
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