By Miles Jaye
Black no more, is a pledge to devest myself of anything that in word, tone, or image, detracts from the entirety and totality of my human experience. If by use of nomenclature, my so-called Blackness renders me one iota less human or denies me one single attribute, benefit, or protection of that afforded a whole human being, including the solemnity of soul, divinity of spirit and brilliance of the human mind, then I divest myself from that name and the use of that naming system.
“Black is beautiful”, “I’m Black and I’m proud”, “Black Lives matter” and any other slogan approved and tolerated by the controlling establishment should be called into question. Black, as defined and described as; “The absence of light,” “Deeply stained with dirt,” “Characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair or pessimism,” “Full of gloom or misery; very depressed,” “Full of anger or hatred,” is of no use to me as a tool of positive self-awareness or self-identity, but only as a term I use to describe a beautiful, clear night sky.
I am not your Black. What I am is Light– a child of God, a piece, particle, or tiny sliver of a Universe of God fabric. I am a fraction of an infinitely powerful, omniscient, omnipresent force, made, designed and rendered in the image of that boundless, imponderable God. What I am is a descendent of spirit-infused cultures and thousands of years of civilization predating the Abraham of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The fact that African empires existed before the existence of Europe is not taught in Public schools. Why?
Black is a linguistic invention. Black is a redaction, a marker through the lines and pages of our history. Black is tape over the mouth of the griot. Black is the graffiti over the multicolored tapestry of our human presence across the globe throughout the millennia. A peoples’ history must be told by them, not by their captors and colonizers. It must be told from their perspective, infused with the joy and tears of their remembering. Black hides the tears and mutes the cries by rendering us less than human. Black renders us invisible!
This Black History month, it is worth noting that recounting the horrors of slavery, remembering heroes of the civil rights movement, along with a few 19th and 20th century inventors, athletes and entertainers, in no way sufficiently pays proper tribute to the totality of our past. Only by passing down our complete stories and sharing the fullness of our heritage do we properly honor our ancestors and history, a history that long predates the 17th century in North, South and Central America and the Caribbean. We were Africans long before becoming New Yorkers, Jamaicans, Brazilians, Haitians, Cubans or Puerto Ricans.
Black no more removes the control over one’s thoughts, be- liefs and feelings. Black no more begins the renewal and restoration of self as God intended, by the emancipation from oppression of the mind and soul. If you remember nothing else this February, remember that you are not only the chosen people but also the original people. It’s time for truth-seeking!
Discover our truth hidden in Ancient History. Discover the original names of people and places through etymology and linguistics. Learn the original regions and territories through geography and cartography. Learn African religions, mythology and ancient customs through cultural and physical anthropology.
Perhaps one day we’ll replace Black History Month with African History Month and just perhaps then we’ll find another month for Super Bowl (2/13) and the NBA Finals (2/20) and have a true, uninterrupted celebration of our ancestry.
Your thoughts, insights and respectful response to this essay may be submitted to the following:
Website: www.therealmilesjaye.com
and www.milesjaye.net
Email: MilesJayeDA@gmail.com
