Welcome back!

Having grown up in predominately starter middle-class Caucasian neighborhoods near Woodbridge, New Jersey and then lower middle-class Caucasian and Hispanic neighborhoods of Mesa, Arizona, it should be no surprise that I am not aware of every facet of African American tradition or history despite being African American all my 33 years. While the those on the fringes of our family were definitely more middle-class with their licenses to teach, practice law and medicine, those in my inner circle worked at factories, automobile plants, grocery stores and the back offices of banks and hospital computer centers. Most having no specialized skills, felt they wanted the world for me just by willing me to step foot on a college campus. I have no problem where I came from or where I am going, but a movie I saw recently proved to me how much I really don’t know about where “we” as a people have come from.
No, the history of slavery isn’t lost on me. No, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Frederick Douglass are not historical strangers to me. What else is there? There’s so much more. For instance, I had never heard of Juneteenth until about two years ago. Kwanza is still somewhat of a mystery to me. And I had no idea that middle-class African Americans held cotillions and beautillions for their children entering adulthood. Nor could I list all the colleges and universities that make up the historical black colleges and universities.
This isn’t just about being African American either. I want to know the customs and contributions of Native Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Indians, Europeans, Africans and women. Some would say, why do you have to divide this question for knowledge along racial lines? Is multiculturalism about a blending of cultures? It is my goal to recognize, celebrate and understand every aspect of multiculturalism. Not just what makes us similar but what makes us delightfully different as well!

Related Posts: