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Black people aren’t “black”
The dehumanization of categorization
Africa is a continent, not a country. It’s huge and incredibly diverse. Not just in terms of flora and fauna, but also in terms of its people and cultures.
Some of the oldest Christian churches, magnificent structures, are in Ethiopia. Islam predominates in North Africa, and there are a variety of other, native religious traditions throughout the continent.
There are many languages spoken, many forms of art, music, and societal structures. Africa was the home of the oldest university in the world, the University of al-Qarawinyyin, founded in 859 and located in Fez, Morocco.
It was home to great warriors, philosophers, and artists.
Yet we refer to those of African heritage as “black”. As if their skin color defines their identity.
It annoys me, just like it annoys me to refer to white people as white — like the Irish are the same as the Italians or Norwegians.
I have friends from Nigeria, and they are not the same as friends from Jamaica or Egypt or Kenya.
And, what is even worse — in the diaspora caused by slavery, black people taken into captivity were abused and dehumanized. They also lost their connections to their heritage, their ancestors, their unique cultures. This was a monumental evil and has created psychic wounds.
We call black people black. But this is a crude term that defines them in a monolithic way instead of celebrating and acknowledging their individuality. Can we do better? We should. I am not black but would like to listen better to the voices of others and learn and understand better.
