It's often said that "black don't crack".
When spoken, it's usually meant in the context of wrinkles.
But it goes deeper than that.
Much deeper.
You see, we are the grandchildren of the slaves who would not die.
Have you ever thought about that?
Have you ever thought about what it means?
It means that we, African Americans, are the descendants of a remarkable people who endured hardships that would boggle the modern mind.
The Middle Passage for example.
They weren't exactly Carnival or Royal Caribbean cruises.
People were packed onto wooden ships like sardines for a journey across the entire Atlantic.
The journey took 80 days on average.
That's almost 3 months.
Our ancestors were chained together on or below decks without space to sit up or move around.
There was no ventilation.
Very little food or water.
No place to relieve themselves.
Suffering mightily at the hands of the true savages.
For nearly three months!
If they survived that hellish journey, they qualified for the next prize.
Enslavement for 250 years.
Chattel slavery.
That means they were considered property.
Like their owner's chickens, mules and cows.
Sharks are merciless, pitiless predators.
But they can't hold a candle to man!
If they survived that nightmare, then "yippee ki yay"!
They qualified for another 100 years of lynching, denigration and disenfranchisement.
And, yet, somehow we are still here.
As Maya so aptly said... and still I rise.
Wow. That gives me goose bumps.
So, what are you saying BJ?
I'm saying, albeit in a roundabout way, that we'll get through this coronavirus.
I know we will because we're the descendants of the slaves who would not die.
We're made of some seriously strong stuff.
Stuff that doesn't crack under centuries of adversity.
It's in our genes.
So get your mind right.
Hold on to this truth and pass it on to your friends and family.
We're going to be okay.
Now, go make a ruckus...
Brian
