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The Daily Aztec
Opinion
Feb. 16 - 22, 2022 EDITOR: Aaliyah Alexander • opinion@thedailyaztec.com
Black musical artists have powerful influence in Black identity and image by aaliyah alexander OPINION EDITOR
Graphic by Aaliyah Alexander
Black artists and musicians offer the Black community something to relate to while navigating life as miniorities.
Religious communities should honor Black history by samantha festin CONTRIBUTOR
Christians of all backgrounds should observe Black History Month as a remembrance of good faith, unity, strength and perseverance. Powerful leaders such as Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman all shared common characteristics. These civil rights activists were heroes who believed in equity, justice, peace and freedom. These brave souls used effective ideas and methods to fight against racial discrimination and slavery. King Jr. presented his “I Have a Dream” speech to address segregation, racism and inequality. He encouraged peaceful protests to stand up for social justice. Parks joined King Jr. in the Montgomery bus boycott that stood against racial segregation in public transit. After the boycott ended, King Jr. helped develop the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which operated to end segregation in the Southern states. Douglass believed in Christian ethics and leading by example. In his autobiography, “Narrative of Frederick Douglass, an
American Slave,” he expressed his stance against hypocrisy. “I love the pure, peaceable and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds and the grossest of all libels,” he wrote. Douglass concluded that Christianity should involve moral behavior, reasonable acts and hearts that reflect empathy for others. Tubman escaped slavery and risked her life to lead others to freedom. She was an abolitionist who guided enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. She put her faith over fear as she attributed her achievements to God. “It wasn’t me, it was the Lord! I always told him, ‘I trust you. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,’ and he always did. I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight, and that’s what I’ve always prayed for ever since,” Tubman said. Douglass commended Tubman for her humility and commitment. He wrote her a letter in 1868 that honored her fearlessness. “I have had the applause of the crowd and the satisfaction that comes from being approved by the multitude, while the most that you have done has been witnessed by a few trembling, scarred and foot-sore bondmen and women, whom you have led out of the house of bondage, and whose heartfelt ‘God bless you’ has been your only reward,” Douglass wrote. SEE ONLINE
“Who taught you to hate the color of your skin?” Malcom X asked a predominantly Black audience during a speech. “Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the shape of your nose and the shape of your lips?” Self-hatred runs deep in the Black community. It’s obvious why, but if you’re not aware it’s simple: Black people were taught for centuries that everything about them is “wrong.” To validate the agenda of white supremacy during the enslavement and segregation of Black Americans, they had to use a dichotomy. In the world of dichotomies, there is always opposition — light and dark, good and evil, love and hate. For this argument, our dichotomy is white versus black whereas whiteness is considered “right and good” and blackness is considered “wrong and evil.” As the saying goes, “people aren’t born to hate, they’re taught it.” Using this line of logic, many Black individuals fall victim to lies that condemn their worth and uniqueness. The lies that were taught to our ancestors made their way from generation to generation, all the way into the minds of many of my peers. However, there were some people, past and present, who pushed against the grain and uplifted Black culture through various mediums, one being music. Nina Simone’s 1970s song “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” is amongst one of my favorite anthems. I could relate to Simone when she sang the lyrics “Oh, how I long to know the truth / There are times when
Black men’s mental health: continued from page 1
that seeking help for mental health goes directly against the traditional masculine norms of Black men. In other words, if I were to share my feelings and emotions, I would be seen as vulnerable and less of a man. I know this isn’t true but when you grow up with these norms, it can make you reluctant to seek help and it teaches you to suppress your emotions. The social expectations that come with Black masculinity have created a toxic environment for Black men resulting in psychological and emotional health effects with long-term struggles such as feeling unheard or unaccepted, failure to express emotions and clinical mental illnesses. Demography also plays a role mentally. According to the most recent census data available, 55% of all Black and African American people lived in the South, 18% lived in the Midwest, 17% in the Northeast, and 10% in the West. This makes it even harder for African Americans to become accustomed in areas such as California where they aren’t in the top three of the state’s racial population. I’ve spent my whole life adjusting to the customs of each community I resided in, not knowing how important it was to embrace my roots and be myself. Pile all these stressors on with the craziness of the pandemic and the everyday life of the typical college student, and you’ve got yourself a messy jumbo bacon mental health cheeseburger. There’s a simple lesson I’m trying to get
I look back / And I am haunted by my youth.” Since kindergarten, I’ve attended predominantly white institutions where I often felt out of place and was forced to assimilate to the culture around me. Everything to the way I dressed and fixed my hair throughout middle school and high school was influenced by what I continuously saw around me. I often cringe when I look at old photos because I can clearly recall how hard it was for me to accept myself as I was. Songs like “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” are what helped me unlearn the anti-blackness propaganda I’ve been taught through mainstream society. Hearing Beyonce sing “I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros / I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils” in 2016 was the first time I looked at my natural features differently. Three years later, “Brown Skin Girl” was released, taking my self-love to a whole new level. I can accredit a significant portion of my self-image to the Black artists who exude the energy of “I’m Black and I’m proud” in their lyrics. Seeing my favorite artists such as Masego, J. Cole, OSHUN and Kendrick Lamar create music celebrating their culture was (and still is) much needed. Even though we, as Black people, weren’t the ones to teach ourselves to hate the color of our skin, the texture of our hair or the shape of our nose and lips, we can be the ones to teach ourselves how to love them. In the process of unlearning, music by talented Black artists can be a powerful tool in your journey. Aaliyah Alexander is a junior studying journalism and international studies. Follow her on Twitter @aaliyahdanyell. across here: Black men, despite what you may have been told, our mental health is important. It’s evident that the topic of Black men tending to their mental health has been brushed aside for generations, but now is the time to change that stigma. You are not alone. Even the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reportedly suffered from severe depression during periods of his life and refused treatment, even when urged to seek care by his staff. Find help, talk to a friend, take a break; whatever it is that makes you feel more like yourself. Do it, because at the end of the day the most important thing is your happiness and peace of mind. Morgan Prickett is a junior studying journalism. Follow him on Twitter @ morganprickett1.
Graphic by Aaliyah Alexander
Black men’s mental health matters now more than ever.
