Every African American should __________
 

learn all three verses to "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing".

I got this idea from another site. Please fill in the blank. :)

Every African American should be eager to learn U.S. History because the history of minorities in this country IS U.S. History.

I hope this thread can stay away from the stereotypical and stupid.

Be registered to vote

im waiting on shinerbock, Kevin, and/or sockpuppet2...

ok seriously... Every African-American should be able to trace their lineage as far back as they can. (you may learn more than you knew before)

know prominent leaders and their accomplishments such as (Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X...just to name a few!)

embrace a healthy lifestyle... watch what you eat, or if you eat what you want anyway get set to do an extra 20 on the treadmill.

Take care of one another. We are our own worst enemy.

teach their kids that there is nothing wrong with having kinky hair

be more health consious! Sharing health issues/histories with family is imperative esp. with immediate family.

think twice before sending their child(ren) to an all white school.

:confused:
do you mean sending them out of their zoned school / to private or parochial school or you talking about college?

I'm talking about pre-college, especially in the elementary years. Not just sending your child to a private/parochial school, but also purposely moving into an all white (or almost) school district. I hear one horror story after another. I understand that some schools provide more educational opportunities, but because of the isolation that many kids may experience, I'm not sure if it is worth it.

All of the responses are excellent, but I especially love

should find a way to support black-owned businesses. If we don't support our entrepreneurial spirit, then who will?

word...

(but sometimes i really dont wanna buy tyrone's CD that's "about to blow up")

I was thinking more along the lines of black people who think we should (insert stereotype).

Another one....

All black people should know that we don't have to conform to a certain way of doing things.

Every African American should learn to speak english fluently, and at least one other language.

..should teach our children that disrespecting women of all races (videos, MTV BET, derogatory comments, etc..) is NOT acceptable. Period.

..should teach our children that we are more than just basketball players, football players, rappers/entertainers. We ARE MOTHERS, FATHERS, teachers, lawyers, CEO's, religious leaders, accountants, artists, political leaders, brothers, sisters and friends.

Should know that Africa is a large, diverse continent comprised of many different countries and cultures.

I actually agree with this.

We must understand that white is not always right. We need to learn how to embrace our heritage, culture, differences and work on becoming better people NOT work on becoming like white people!!

...Should teach their children fiscal responsibility. Teach them the value of owning their own home and investing and saving for those rainy days.

If parents don't know how to be financially responsible, as a family take a class or make an effort to learn more about finances.

I agree with this statement completely. I have attended predominately White schools my entire life. Not necessarily because of my parents choice but just because of zoning. I definitely feel isolated at times. It is hard for students like myself to fit in, in social situations with African-American or White people. As much as it pains me to say it, I find it hard to identify with some of my African-American peers. On the other side of that stone, they don't want to deal with me because I act too White or I speak too proper or some such statement. Yes I have African-American friends but sometimes there is a barrier. Being identified as "gifted" doesn't aid either because in most of my classes I tend to be either the only African-American person or 1 out of 4 or so.

Yes! Africa is a beautiful continent! There is more to it than what people see on the "Feed the Children" commercials. Unfortunately I know a lot of people who don't realize that.

Every African-American should: Travel outside of the US at least twice.

go ahead and fix that miss... im sure it was a typo :)

shoot, every black person should travel off their BLOCK at least twice (a week)!

Thanks! I reread that twice before I posted... I thought I'd fixed it.

ROTFLMAO

I totally agree with this! Travelling outside of the U.S. can really broaden one's perspective. Among other things, you learn that there is SO much more out there than being Black, or even being American.

While I understand the sentiment behind this statement, I disagree with it. I went to a predominently white school, and my son currently attends one. Just as my parents did, my husband and I provide other opportunities for my child to form bonds with other Black children (church, community and extended family activities, etc.). We also heavily emphasize Black history and culture in our home. Our goal is that my son learns how to adapt to being a "minority" in this country, while still not losing touch with who he is. As is the case with many Black professionals today, it is very possible that our children will grow up and be the only, or one of few Blacks at their place of employment or in other situations, so I believe it is vital for them to begin learning how to adapt to this early on.

As a side note, my son's teacher sent me an email the other day, complimenting my husband and I. Apparently during a science experiment on electricity, after the teacher reminded the class that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, my son reminded his teacher that, "Lewis Howard Latimer, a black man, invented the filament within the light bulb that causes the bulb to have light." Talkin' 'bout a PROUD momma moment! :D

Oh God. I'm DYING!

I told one of my students (who is failing, but plays ball well) that NBA (or MLB & NFL) recruitment is not comming to HS anymore (I don't think so), so you at least have to get to college to be really scouted.

Ditto!

...Should teach their children black history at home. They sure won't learn enough of it at school!!

^^^ and although Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman are monumental figures in our history, we need to teach our kids that there is more to our past than those three individuals. Our contributions go back to far, and we're still contributing to the world today. I would just love to hear or see a black child have pride in a prominent figure other than a rapper, actor, or athlete.

@ Soror PearlRuby: Your son makes me proud with having and sharing that knowledge. :D

*back to the thread*

____ should embrace some technology instead of shunning all forms of technological advancement. It's a totally different world in 2007.

... should share an activity with their children. not just drop your kids off at the rec center, but take arts & crafts together or go to museums and learn something new, or participate in a sport/academic endeavor as a team.

:::snap snap snap::: to this whole thread.

Every African American who speaks "correct" English should understand that language is nothing more than symbolic communication, and Blacks who speak differently from you are not stupid or wrong, they are just limited in their opportunities. Don't get mad at others for boxing you into stereotypes based on your speech if you're doing the same thing to them.

..know simple basic rules of etiquette. I'm not saying be the love child of Emily Post, but young adults and children have NO decorum in public. I see it ALL OF THE TIME. Harriet Cole would be mortified.:(

Men, remove your hat in a place of worship. Period. It doesnt matter if it's your religon or not. Respect.

Embrace diversity...just because that is the way your family has always thought/done/reacted, does not make it correct. We need to broaden our horizens and challenge our way of thinking.

....view ourselves as survivors and no longer as victims.

....should establish a savings account even if it is to save $5 per month.

.....let go of the materialism that gives way to intergenerational poverty.

YES YES YES to everything you just said! :)

Amen and Amen!!!

Stop discriminating against EACH OTHER. There's enough people out there trying to play "divide and conquer" with our people without us doing it to each other. It doesn't matter if I'm light and you're dark, or if I'm from Cali and you're from DC, or if I shop at Wal-Mart and you shop at Macy's. Our great great great grandfathers were probably seatmates on the same ship, so it really doesn't matter.

:D When you put everything into perspective, it makes some of the things we fuss and argue about completely irrelevant.

Every African-American ADULT should...
 

1)....read at least one book per month.

2)...travel to at least one foreign country.

3)...have a birthday party, with the traditional works (i.e., cake, candles, icecream, decorations, gifts, games...)

4)...have a slumber party.

5)...have a hobby that they are dedicated to.

6)...volunteer their services to a non-profit organization, regularly.

7)...have a spiritual foundation of some sort.

8)...take long walks weekly.

9)...climb a tree at least once in life and just hang out in the midst of the leaves for awhile.

10)...go on a picnic alone...with a book, a bottle of wine, and some food. A perfect day...:rolleyes: