A Concept Paper on Being a Black

My skin is of a dark complexion—totally, totally black indeed. Yes, you name it,
the race of the Negroes, the race where Africans belong. My skin defines me. I am a
Black, and living life as a Black is pretty much… a big mess-up.
I am proud to be one with the indigenous. Yet, why? Why am I the target of such
hatred? Why must the light and fair pounce on me like a useless toy? What business do
I have with them? I’ve been experiencing discrimination throughout my life. Does history
really give people the notion that Blacks are weak and must be enslaved? Is this
because of Americans taking those poor Africans from their homeland and treating them
like slaves?
Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people
simply on the basis of their race, and that some racial groups are superior to others.
Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or
hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns. A
possible source of racism is the misunderstanding of Charles Darwin’s theories of
evolution. Some took Darwin’s theories to imply that since some races were more
civilised, these must be a biological basis for the difference. Social norms are also one
of the causes of racism because some people are taught to dislike another race by their
family or by someone who has a great influence on them.
It seems that being black goes beyond one’s beautiful shade or race to the
stereotypical American culture—or in other instances, Caucasian culture. Some people
ask me why I bear a skin tone that is different from theirs. Nowadays, being white is the
new norm of the society. Accept the light, reject the dark. That notion has existed ever
since the start of slavery in the United States. Racism has always been both an
instrument of discrimination and a tool for exploitation. Race was created socially,
primarily by how people perceive ideas and faces I am not quite used to.

I have read an article about Rosa Parks who was also a victim of racial
discrimination. She was a seamstress in Montgomery, once having boarded a bus as
she was heading home after work. She took a seat in the first of several rows
designated for “coloured” passengers. Though the city's bus ordinance did give drivers
the authority to assign seats, it didn't specifically give them the authority to demand a
passenger to give up a seat to anyone, regardless of colour. Back then, buses
organised seats separating Whites from Blacks, with the Whites taking the front seats
and Blacks utilizing the back seats. Once there were White passengers who ran out of
seats, Black passengers were forced to give up their seats for them or otherwise face
punishment. This was the Montgomery City Code on transportation; included in the
code was that bus drivers had the powers of a police officer of the city while in actual
charge of any bus for the purposes of carrying out the provisions provided. While
operating a bus, drivers were required to provide separate but equal accommodations
for White and Black passengers by assigning seats.

As the bus Rosa rode on continued its route, White passengers began filling it,
and seats were slowly being used up. Four Black people, Rosa included, were asked to
give up their seats, but Rosa outright refused, stating that she did not need to stand up
and leave her seat for a White. This led to her arrest for violation of the said code; and
in response, E.D. Nixon, head of the local chapter of the National Association for the
Advancement of Coloured People, instigated a boycott on the Montgomery city buses.

As humankind progresses, my way of thinking becomes more complex, as does

the world around me. The values I once had aren’t forgotten, but they are replaced with
new values as my old ways hide in the back of my mind.
In school, my classmates would call me names such as “niggas,” “niger,” and
other names I can’t define. This greatly affects me as an individual; got me wondering
like… why is life like this? Why is their mindset totally bent on promoting the culture of
the White and abasing the culture of the Black? Can’t there be equal rights—equality for
the Blacks and people of other colours?
Martin Luther King Jr. once said that people should be judged by their character
and personality, not by their skin colour or ethnicity. This further strengthens the
importance of human rights for everyone—that regardless of their skin tone, they should
all be treated equally. Am I, a Black, not a human too? Can’t my fellowmen and I be on
the same level as the Whites?
Black-skinned, is it fear… or is it shame? Mankind should stop racism. The most
effective way to begin this, in the words of Morgan Freeman, is to “Stop talking about it.”
Basically, White people must learn how to respect people of other colours and accept
them for who they are—not to disorient them with insults. Remember, all humans are
created equally, and they have no right to judge others for their uniqueness. Living like a
Black should be living like an average person—no more bashes—no more mess-ups.