|
Ok,
I think I get what you're saying but you are speaking about the minority, not the majority. To me a Alpha Kappa Alpha woman born & raised in the Bahamas. Black is black is black, no matter your nationality. All of us had to & still deal with racism . Now please remember that the Caribbean consists of many islands & many different cultures & what one majority if a group may think may not be the same across that group. That is not all Jamaicans may think a certain way.
On the other hand there is a lot of ignorance in the States about anyone else in the world especially island nations where we're usually lumped as if we're one country & everybody has one accent which is usually Jamaican. So the people you come in contact with are most likely tired of folks coming at them with such ignorance or they're ignorant themselves.
There are those of us who can deal with it better and there are those who look down upon Black Americans. A lot of Americans don't understand this & think that everyone envies them but not everybody does. A lot of us pray for you all and wish that you had the same status in your own county that we have in ours. I.e Black people running the country. Some of us came ot the States not because our countries are poor & needy but b/c we wanted a change of scenery. The Bahamas for example is the richest nation per capita in the Caribbean so we're not struggling at all. Not everyone is so blessed.
And why should a person who is not African-American claim it? I wouldn't want somebody claiming my country, you have your own. But I think that black people who claim their nationality as their race are ignorant. I'm Bahamian but i know I'm black, just as my white Bahamian friend knows she's white. Caribbean is not the same as black but sadly not everyone knows this.
Basically it boils down to respect for all peoples and all cultures and all black people. In history we did Bahamian history, West-Indian history & US history. Ignorance is not attractive. People need to realize that they are not alone in this world. I as a Bahamian woman who went to the US for school have heard the most ignorant & down right disrespectful questions so there is a lot of work to be done all over. Instead of becoming frustrated I chose to educate. I know it's hard but some people for some reason in 2005 just don't know about anything.
So, therefore, in conclusion, finally (lol), I am apart of AKA because I my Founders as Black women who did what they had to do. I respect them & I respect what the struggle must have been like. The ideals of AKA are to serve ALL and I as a Bahamian woman of AKA am doing that. Now I can't profess to identify with what it means to be an African-American because I don't know. I can't get passionate about their struggle b/c it's not MY direct history. But I CAN empathize and sympathize and appreciate what your ancestors have done for you. It really is all about respect. I appreciate your opinion but try not to become defensive when they are expressing their views & see if they're making sense with some of their points. If not keep it moving because there are too many ignorant people in this world for you to worry about.
|