The Soul of Blackness

Perhaps because of the way I grew up, I never felt the need to shout “I am black!” Of course you can see it on my face. It is intrinsically who I am. Being black is all that I know.

“Being black”, however is not a single state of being or a single experience. There is an amazing, wide diaspora in blackness. The way I experience and go through life as a black woman is different from that of my mother, my sister, and my daughters. It is especially different from that of my husband and my son. It is also different from someone in New York vs Alabama vs Texas.

I cannot speak on every experience of being black in America. What I can do is encourage you to be open to learn from every single black person you meet. The stories you hear will not be the same, but there may still be a consistent theme in the challenges and struggles associated with being black.

At the core there is a depth of spirit and awareness that exists in most. Again, I won’t speak on ALL. Just know that it isn’t merely a feeling that we are the foundation. We are the nutrients and it is our blood that seeps into the soil that has fueled the growth of the nation. It is our collective souls that stir emotion and bear influence on so many other lives. The Soul of Blackness is what shouts and can be heard across the nation.

We lost one of the great leaders of the Civil Rights Movement - Reverend Jesse Jackson on February 17th. I recall going to a speaking event on one of the rooftops of the Renaissance Center in Detroit. I remember thinking this man was larger than life as he greeted everyone of us and then gave a speech with so much feeling and emotion. I was young and may not have fully understood the words, but I got the message. I felt it in my bones and it has stayed with me ever since.

Rest well Rev. Jackson. Rest well.