A Message About Emancipation Day

by Dr. Claire A. Nelson, PhD - President of the Institute of Caribbean Studies

Dear Friends:

August 1, 1838 marks the Emancipation Day for the Slaves of the English-speaking Caribbean.  In recent years, many Caribbean governments have reinstated August 1st a holiday of primary significance for the Caribbean in general and Caribbean people of African descent in particular.  The Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago has launched a call for August 1st to be commemorated as International Emancipation Day around the world.  Ghana is the first African country that responded in support.

ICS in honor of, and in solidarity with African peoples worldwide who hold the African Slave Trade and the African Mafia, to be a crime against humanity, urges all African descendants to wear white in commemoration of our losses and our victories, to hold this day in memory, to hold the names of your ancestors known and unknown in your hearts, to listen to the echoes of those who died so that we might be, and to fill our souls with prayers.

A PRAYER FOR ALL AFRICANS  

Creator God, Our Father, Our Mother, Our Friend

We come out of our churches, our mosques, our temples, our shrines

And invite you to enter with us all into the sacred space of our hearts.

Where there is always light and where you are always present...

We come from the Four Corners of the globe where fate has scattered us

We come from the dustbins of history

We come from the slaughterhouses of hatred

We come from the horror-houses of slavery

We come from the trauma of colonization

We come bearing the burdens of our ancestors

              to this time and place...in search of Redemption.

We come for Reparations of an unjust economic system

We come to Educate ourselves about the possibilities

We come seeking Development of a sustainable way of life

We come to ignite the fire of Evolution to a higher spiritual order

We come as the standard bearers of a new Moral order

We come in search of Peace

We come armed with the Truth

We come to topple the Ignoble

We come so that we shall Overcome

We come to build a new Nation of humanity

              in a time and space beyond race.

Great Spirit who resides in each and every one of us

Grant us the vision, the wisdom, the courage, the temperance

        the patience, the forbearance, to carry on the struggle for justice

But most of all grant us the grace to love each other

        and to love ourselves as we seek to triumph

        in the war for the heart and souls of humankind

        for with the love all things are possible.

Creator God, Our Mother, Our Father, Our Friend

We acknowledge that we are Soul.

We acknowledge that we are One Nation

Though we are many tribes, many clans, many peoples

We acknowledge that we are each the wave

We are together One Ocean.

Come reside in the churches, temples, mosques, shrines

           That we now build in our hearts

As we go forth in search of Redemption.

Selah.

 Claire Nelson, 

On the Occasion of the UN World Conference Against Racism

Durban, September 6, 2001

"Crabs In A Barrel"

This metaphor describes a group that refuses to support a member who wishes to rise above the clamor.  Instead, group members will grab the prospective dissonant with their claws and pull him/her back down to their level.

This metaphor is commonly, and aptly used to describe African-Americans and our attitudes toward each other.  Women are catty towards other women who may be prettier or wearing nicer outfits.  Brothers trying to make it out of the hood are called "sellouts" by their so-called friends. We can't even stand together long enough to stand for anything!

A brother will call a sister with a good job "uppity" and decide that she's too high maintenance for him without even considering the fact that she may be driving her nice car to an empty home. Some of us see our friends making progress and envy them instead of encouraging them.  "Oh she thinks she's cute, I can't stand her." Well damn, if I don't think I'm cute, who else will?

It's a crying shame that people from other ethnic backgrounds will live 20 to a room
if necessary, in order to push forward, but many of us are so busy trying to impress the "Joneses" that we live check to check, dodging creditors to support a lifestyle we can't afford. My only question is Why?

Why is it that the same supermarket cashier that smiled and chatted with Becky, turns to me with a sneer, when I pay for my purchase with a debit card rather than a food stamp card?  Crabs in a barrel!  Can I live?

Why can't we be supportive of one another? Why do we have to sleep with someone else's husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend just to get a laugh at their expense?
Crabs in a barrel!  Why is there still some small area in the back of some of our minds that says that "The Cosby Show" wasn't real? Wasn't representative of Black life? But Martin and Menace To Society were?  Come on! Why are we still surprised to see African-American CEO's ? Crabs in a barrel!

These are all symptoms of the same mentality, and if we are to make any progress
as a people, this must change. If we are to get past this handicap, we must address it.  Let's deal with it and begin to encourage and embrace one another. I'm not talking about just in front of the cameras and up on the podiums. Let's do it every single day.

We can't expect to be treated with respect by outsiders if we can't even respect each
other. They laugh at us and our misguided ways, while they use their own networking skills and connections to look out for each other whenever possible.

It is unfortunate that so many of us were brought up in loveless environments where envy and jealousy were the only valid emotions.  It's a shame that so many of us were told by our loved ones that we would not amount to anything, but the blame game will not get us out of this mess. The only way to combat this legacy is to look in the mirror, and change what we see until the person staring back is someone we can truly love and appreciate.

There is no true love without self-love.  We were a race of kings and queens. We moved mountains with our minds, until we were robbed of our birthright and taught self-hatred. It is time to reverse the wrongs!  One can remove a king from his throne, but nobody can take from him his royal blood. Cherish the beauty from whence you came!

Author Unknown

This is (Mandatory) Homework for the Black Community: Come up with at least ONE way you can eliminate the "Crabs in a barrel" mentality within yourself, exercise it, and share it with your brothers and sisters.