The display in my school building was “Afrocentricity” on the statue of Zacharias Kalliniketas. On the side of the statue, the phrase “African American Revolutionary History” was spelled out, along with the Civil War, slavery, and Jim Crow. It had been done in such a way that it read as if it was written by an African American.
My school was building up to a holiday “Conversation on Black Arts” to get people talking. One of the options was for students to write down their suggestions and comments. For the big event, it was decided that “Afrocentricity” would be the theme. The information board that was going to go up in the hallways were to display the phrase, along with several other titles that related to African American history.
I am a proud Native American and was asked by the administration to view Professor Obama’s paper. The student that designed it was just the same as those who designed all of the other items in the school building. The only difference was the skin color. It was all done in such a way that it would seem like the work of an African American. This is what they called cultural appropriation.
The next day, I took my own stand and said, “We have our own cultural appropriation. It has been said that the beauty of India is in its diversity. The diversity of our culture is its wealth and talent.”
My instructor didn’t matter. I did not have to take it. There was no need. I am American and have many friends of African descent, so I was going to be okay, no matter what the people in my school did.
If I am going to have my cultural appropriation checked, it must be done properly, without using any words that mean something that does not relate to African American culture. For example, if I were to use the word “Rasta,” it would not relate to African American culture. It is our native tongue.
African Americans are not going to take offense to “Rasta” and the Rastafarians are not going to have to take offense because it is only our own native tongue. Just think of it, if you put a “Gangster” with African American culture, you will see that the word “Gangster” does not relate to American culture.
Our Black History is history that only belongs to us. If we are going to adopt and use ideas from other cultures that do not relate to our own, then it will hurt our own cause. We are not stupid; we know what hurts us.
Sometimes, we have to be careful about what we allow others to consider part of our culture. Even if we allow them to use the word “Gangster” and other related terms, we should still be careful. If we allow our culture to be so closely tied to what others consider theirs, how will we ever stand out and be the unique one, and not just a member of a specific group.
Maybe, in the past times, when America has been around long enough, everyone was treated equally. Today, however, the groups who are considered the dominant groups in the past are no longer the dominant group in today’s society. Maybe there was equality, and then again, we are all still a minority.
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