I have had the great privilege and blessing of being an African American woman in America.  Some would consider this a curse because it has been a difficult and challenging walk, but I am truly proud and thankful to be black.  It has made me strong.  I stand on the backs of giants and a people who have overcame immense struggle and hardship and still we survive and thrive.

At times when I walk into a room, my race speaks before I do and many have characterized me and feel they know me before I am able to get a word out.  As a result of theses preconceived notions, I am treated in some cases differently than others.  Or is that my paranoia?  Has being black in America and dealing with racism and injustice made me paranoid?  Has a normal action or the normal behavior pattern of a person been mistaken because the past inflictions of mal-treatment, prejudice and racism been so ingrained in my conscious?

Many times I am told by non Blacks, ”you are different”.  Well that is simply not the case.  It can’t be anything further from the truth.  There are lots of African Americans just like me; I know tons of them.  But the experiences with these African Americans are not the memories that stand out in the minds of many Americans.  What stays trapped in their minds are the few experiences they have had, the random occurrences, and the media images that are like poignant fixtures.  Why don’t people remember the pleasant experiences they have with African Americans?  At times, I feel like we are invisible, because others see us in distasteful and violent music videos or television shows that portray the worst of my culture and kinsman.  We are so much more.

This is not black America.  We are academics, scientists, inventors, entertainers, athletes, doctors, lawyers, politicians, businessmen, teachers, tradesmen, journalist, ceo’s, theologians, presidents, and more, but most of all, we are human and we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.  We come from a great people, great civilizations, rich cultures, and a vast and great continent which is the mother of all civilization.