Black Life By Christina Thomas

So… I’m black. And because I’m black and American, I’ve seen some things; been through some things. In my short 23 years on this Earth, I’ve been discriminated against, disrespected, called names, made fun of  and stereotyped because of my stature, kinky hair and dark brown skin. I’ve been treated differently, sometimes less than equal because I was judged by my skin instead of my character. I have fought hard to prove who I am and what I am capable of. Little has been handed to me. But because I was raised in a God-fearing home I learned to pray, love and take everything one step at a time. I had a greater purpose to fulfill. The purpose? To serve God and spread His word, DESPITE…..

By despite, I mean watching a mother and father cry out for their unarmed black son who was murdered by an armed neighborhood watchman. The details of the story later proved to be grueling; unreal. An innocent teenager, a few years younger than I, was hunted and shot down like an animal. His body left lying in the street. A picture of him mugging with a grill vs. a picture of him smiling and wearing a Hollister shirt ran through my mind as the killer walked free… By despite, I mean watching a mother and a father crying out for their unarmed black son who was killed by a police officer. The details of the story later proved to be grueling; unreal. The officer said he felt threatened beyond measure, like he was “fighting the Hulk”. Instead of a taser, he opted for a 12 round, one way shoot-out; 6 bullets hit the target. Pictures of the teen in his graduation cap and gown made my heart burn with grief as the killer walked free… By despite, I mean watching a mother cry out for her unarmed black son who was killed by a police officer. The details of the story later proved to be grueling; unreal. Video recording showed the young man lying on the ground, hands-cuffed behind his back, non-confrontational. He was shot in the back while his friends and a train full of passengers watched. Pictures of he and his daughter brought tears to my eyes as his killer walked free… But before the anger set in, I remembered the purpose that we’ve all become distracted from and lose sight of…

When comparing slavery and the civil rights movement to the 21st century, modern day Jim Crow/Discrimination/Racial Insensitivity/Stereotypically driven culture, it’s clear that we’re missing God in the latter. Slavery was supposed to be the annihilation of a culture. People were overpowered, taken from their own land, then forced to move across the world and labor in unworkable conditions. They were treated inhumanely; like wild animals. Chained, caged, raped and beaten. But their faith in one thing remained strong; God. They served Him. They prayed to Him. They cried to Him. They never lost sight of their purpose. And slowly, a change occurred. Many became free. While facing grave and blatant discrimination, civil rights activists walked the streets and led peaceful protests. Teaching more than peace and tolerance, they shared the principles of God’s love and formed a culture in new America  DESPITE the oppression from a society that worked to harm them so. This culture strived in the arts (poetry, music, literature, acting). This culture was affluent and profound with words; sharing thoughts and philosophies across the world. The people of this culture that were once held in bondage and thought of as 3/5^ths of a human being were now (for the most part) important parts of American culture and history.

Then this culture had a major shift. All these “profound” minds and philosophies that used to be rooted in God became self-centered. God took a backseat to money, power and fame. They (we) began to focus on all the things we were once deprived of; nice homes, cars, money, fame. And now that we had these things, what did we need God for?

Slaves were held in physical bondage, but were powerful with the knowledge of God. White men had their bodies, but couldn’t control their minds. That’s how we made it through and out of slavery and into the black elitism of the Harlem Renaissance. But somewhere between then and now, we have gained our physical freedom in exchange for our minds. Our beautiful minds. We handed over the shackles and took the “American Dream” (a façade). We handed over 50’s love songs and traded them for trap music that promotes gangs/drugs and disrespects OUR women that our forefathers died trying to protect. We handed our parenting rights over to the streets and now our sons and daughters are suffering. We began promoting ignorance and money over a sound mind and an Ivy League education. We set the standards so low for ourselves yet wonder why no one respects us or sees us as equal. We allowed a new system to be built against us; a system that our civil rights leaders tried so hard to fight against. We traded Jesus Christ for money and fame. Gave up our souls to this world. We bought into this idea of having the things our ancestors were unable to obtain. So every check, we flaunt. Every chain, we floss. Every car, we purchase. We live in ghettos driving Benz’s. We make babies without building a sufficient home for them to live in. Our youth listens to and lives by rap music. They quote so many Jay Z and Kanye West lyrics that the concept of Matthew 5:5 can’t even begin to be manifested inside their young minds. We kill each other over shoes. We talk down and focus on the negative stereotypes that surround and eat away at our culture, yet we participate in them all the while. We fail.

Until we raise and train our children properly, our culture will continue to suffer. Until we get back into church, our families will suffer. Until we learn to rebuild homes, our young men will continue to die in vain. We live the black life, and I want to see it change. But it won’t change by protesting and fighting in the street. It won’t change by placing all the blame on the system and we can’t let annoyance of another not guilty verdict find it’s home in our hearts and dictate violent actions. Instead of arguing and bickering with our Caucasian counterparts that truly can’t grasp the fact that there’s a possibility the entire race of black men could become extinct, we have to began praying to seek understanding and peace. We must build a foundation on God. He promised us an eternal life far greater than anything this world can offer. But we must unchain ourselves from this world and hold on to our purpose.

The change begins with us restoring our faith in the Lord.