How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

[butwil]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

So many interesting and similar experiences. EG, school; I was the ONLY black girl in my school until I was 14, my mother, in her ignorance, felt it was better to live amongst them. The hair stories - 'hair bear bunch', dating - though I never, ever found them attractive enough to worry about it; the way they smelled, being asked, every year, "you like the hot weather do you?" - even though I was born in England! -All kinds of experiences. I could write tomes.

But you know what, I always, from an early age, knew that despite the brainwashing and negative images of my people, knew something they didn't. That was, that I was blessed to be black. I have never felt the need to apologise for my nubian self. Never. I'm not sorry, I'm sorry for them. Always was. In school, I was always the cleverest, had to be. My hair I was used to, knew I couldn't change it. Why would I want their men when so many of them wanted mine, what's good for them.... And so on. They could never tell me anything, because I knew more about them than they knew about me. You see them on their tv.

As I told one colleague, when she complained about being surrounded by blacks: "if you don't like black people, commit suicide. Slit your throat then".

So,it's not how I live in my black skin,it suits me. How the hell do they live in theirs?

Irie

[dahjah]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

Originally posted by ukroots:
[qb] "you like the hot weather do you?"

So,it's not how I live in my black skin,it suits me. How the hell do they live in theirs?

Irie [/qb]

ukroots, I can't count how many times I've been asked dat same foolishness.

"luv the weather do you"

[Night Nurse]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

Originally posted by Nunya:
[qb] So whe fi yuh story deh? [/qb]

Dung a Dear K/J. Suh wha a bline yuh bline. My story pose up dung dey every day.

I am a lovah nat a fightah. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] cutmitwoyeyedem

[777]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

See BND, I am glad that u see (meaning at least some causcasians) are able to get a *glimpse* into our world, and see some of the stuff that we have to bear day in , day out....
and keep our mouths shut just to get by..
Yes, its fustrating, very fustrating to say the least, the way how we have to conform to *fit in* to this society in order to get ahead..
We do feel anger, hurt, humilation ... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] because like your race, we are a proud people..
Thats why when the occasion comes for us to pair off into groups, its a good thing for us to let our hair down and just breathe.......

See some here, will not say a word, for fear, of offending...but its not that they dont experience it too..
My sister lives in florida, and my brother in law was the first one that i heard talk about the prejudice that he felt there. (jacksonville)
but then, everyones experiences are different and everyone reacts differently......

My experiences were very mild in the beginning, until I came to realize what was going on..
Today, at work, I too experienced racism...again...and I was angry........and a bit agitated (me ready fe fight now..but me learning each and every day that there is more than one ways to skin a cat....) I contacted my lawyer last night, and my pastor early this morning who prayed with me and I went in armed and ready for battle..

I am here at home, happy that the day is over and that I can retreat and regroup for another day.
Just another day I guess in the life of a naturalized African American citizen.. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]
I just want to sit back, relax, pray, and enjoy the warmth of being with my family......and forget about the harshness of the outside world..
I am just glad that I wasnt born in the earlier days where the blacks had to exprience a harsher life at the hands of the Massa..
If anything, I thank god for that..

[Tropicana]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

This is one of the best threads I have ever seen on here. It was precisely for this type of exchange I came here in the first place. When you experience painful rejection in the dating and business worlds, this is PRECISELY the kind of reality check that is needed to maintain one's perspective.

Thank you all.

[777]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

a dat me sey too Trop..
it better dan paying a psychologist fe therapy....
(no offense to those who go.. )

[Tropicana]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

Agreed 777.

[dahjah]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

Originally posted by Xks:
[qb] respecks da share deh ing..
yet another confirmation to some observations the likkle time mi deh yah. blacks whey grow yahso good nuh rathid. Dis a 60s southern states.

Pon a positive note, the ones that survive, seem to make something substantial wid dem life. Praises to the highest dat you neva know nothing bout pills.
Higher level fi di I. [/qb]

A man I met (a yaadie) is a great pioneer for our cause, him live a Pickering now. Bromley, if yuh cyan find dat book check it, is serious yeye openah.

Many of our ppl weren't; aren't successful in dis fight, because it is a fight everyday of your life so some a dem in order to get along give up sum a dem soverignty (SELF) trying to fit in so to get by. Nuff a wi jus nuh ha de fight een wi nuh more, it is too tiring.
Dis is why I love to go to detroit, NY, Atl, Ftl, JA all de while. When I reach there the walls and guards and forcefield come down. But mi tell yuh de drive from de big D till mi reach Atl...FORCEFIELD ON...

Back in 94 or so I was driving back from florida and stopped in tennesee to by some gas.
De sign said Pay FIRST after Dark so mi tunn on de pump an a wait... dem nah tun on de pump. Mi look ova tuh de ooman inside an motion har fe tunn on de pump. She wave mi fe cum een, mi wave har fe tunn on de pump, she wave mi fe cum een. Suh mi bex now an guh een deh an ahx har why shi nah tunn on de pump.
shi seh "You have to pay first"
mi seh "The sign says Pay first after dark, it's 12 noon"
She raise har vice pointing at me an seh "YOU have TO PAY FIRST"
Suh mi shout back an seh "YOU can keep yuh GAS"

an m mi jump een mi Astro van ( a dat mi did a drive back den...soup up an everyting [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ...no mini van jokes

Mi stawt guh back up 75 an feel de van chugg an boom shut off, mi stawt ee again an reach a denex on ramp and chugg again it stawt again and as I made it to the top of the overpass it shut off fe de lass time weh mi coas een a one gas station. WHEEWWWW. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]ray: tenk u JAH [img]/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[dahjah]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

Originally posted by Boopie2:
[qb] King,
I'm curious to ask why did you have to sign anything in order to attend the Million Man March in DC? Do you know any others who had signed this paper and are still being harrassed by the cops? This kind of thing really makes you wonder about corruption. I had so many friends that went to the march on that day, seeing all those strong brothers was a true sight to see on tv.

Too bad I didn't know you then, I just lived up the street from the monument took place. [/qb]

yes is too bad... were you single then [img]/forums/images/graemlins/704555_dwl.gif[/img]

I went to the mosque in chicago as I was visitng the city at that time. They told us that anyone going to the march has to register. Me being young and foolish nevah a tink seh a who a guh get dem ifahmayshun ya etc. So I was glad and happy to sign up for such a cause, and so were so many other black men. I think it is a requirement of your federal government. I now wished I did just go pan mi own an nuh seh nuttin.
I do know other ppl dat went and are also being harrassed or seems to be being harrassed.

Mastering the Art of War... is agreat read for our daily lives.
I think I've mastered the mental part now if I could jus go ova weh Wahalla deh suh him cyan show mi sum a dem cambat moves. Martially mi well trained tuh so...

But it is de mental fight we haffee deal wid anyhow.

"War is first fought in the mind before it reaches the battlefield".

[Nancymac45]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

coons...boy that brings back memories fi me.

My family (mother, father, grandfather, aunts and uncles) were prejudiced and that's why I rebelled.
That was a fav word for my father to use when referring to people of color. I hated it.

It started in Jr High school for me, when the school was putting on a talent show. My friends were predominantly black. We were practicing a dance routine to a song and the teacher that was holding the talent show, happened to mention to my sister that I had alot of black friends. So of course she brought the story home to my parents. Boy was I in trouble. My father started to rant and rave about coons etc., my mother started crying and my sister laughed. Questions I asked, like "why" ? weren't answered. There was no reason "its just the way it is" was the answer I got and I wasn't going for it. That began my rebellion years back in the day.

Well I'm 39 "again ?" this year and still goin strong. I raised 2 beautiful daughters of color and I've bucked the system since I was 11.

You learn thru the years to recognize and avoid
people that have any racist views or comments. You stand up for whats right and put people in their place when you have to.
You bring up your children to not carry the family taught racism forward, hoping for a better world and a greater understanding of what people have been thru and ARE going thru in this life.

King...thanks for this thread.

[Tropicana]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

Nancy, did you parents ever accept your daughters? It must have been tough at times.

[Tropicana]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

UKroots Originally Posted:

The hair stories - 'hair bear bunch', dating - though I never, ever found them attractive enough to worry about it;

So were you just not interested in dating at that stage of your life? How did you deal with this and what were you going to do? Did things ever work out for you? When did you start dating?
The first guy who ever asked me out was Jewish and I was about 18 at the time. Then, a Jamaican guy who went to our church briefly took me out a few times but eventually just dropped out of site. I didn't really start dating regularly till the summer I turned 21 and the guys were all Jamaican. I met them by going to parties and dances with the friend I mentioned earlier who taught me how to dance reggae. None of them were Christians. I have never had any luck with Christian men.

[dahjah]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

Originally posted by NancyJ:
[qb] King...thanks for this thread. [/qb]

thanks for your story

[JamaicaDaye]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

Canada is a trip! people who come here since they were a small child, along with people who were born here to jamaican parents, are so much different from the jamaicans I've grown up and worked with in Jamaica. The people are more suspicious and hardened from experience of both overt and covert racism that they almost alien to me...
I know and understand them though, I too have felt it(the racism). I almost told an ugly white guy the other day to "go nyam __"

[dahjah]

Re: How has life bin...For you to live in your Black skin...OURSTORY

what yuh go troo ya suh will mek yuh different, yuh nuh deal wid dem tingya back a yaad, so how could one possibly stay de same?