BEMA Network Members
(All):
Perceptions, and how we
view each other personally, and how others view us.
Please take a look at the
different views listed below. Urban legends, some truth, and different
perspectives on a hot subject. Especially if you know of some young, or older
individual that's unable to find a job. The perception and image may be the key
in addition to knowing 110% of our job.
Question: Is it harder
to change a system from inside or outside?
The world is not a large
as you think it is. Language only separates us in the 21st
Century.
Be safe, be
prepared.
cds
Charles D. Sharp
Chief Executive
Black Emergency
Managers Association bEMA
2027 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20020
Office:
202-618-9097
Apologizing: does not
always mean you are wrong and the other person is right. It just means you value
your relationship more than your ego. (Author Unknown)
Pass this on to Our Youth, Our Parents,
Our Black Men and Women
Letter from a college student
The other day a friend of mine visited me
in the lobby of my dorm just to chat while her laundry was drying. As we were
chatting two young freshmen came by. One of the 2 boys wanted to 'talk' to my
friend (as in date). She asked him how old they were, and both of the boys
replied 18. My friend and I both laughed hysterically because we are both 22
years old.
After my friend left the young men were
still hanging around and one wanted to know how he could gain her interest.
The first thing I told him to do was to
pull up his pants! He asked why, and then said he liked saggin' his pants. I told him to come over to my
computer and spell the word saggin'. Then I told him to write the word
saggin' backwards.
< FONT face="Times New Roman"
color=black size=3>
S-A-G-G-I-N
N-I-G-G-A-S
I told him the origin
of that look was from centuries ago. It was the intent of slave owners to
demoralize the field workers by forbidding them to wear a belt as they worked in
the fields or at any other rigorous job. In addition, men in prison wore their
pants low when they were 'spoken for'. The other reason their pants looked like
that was they were not allowed to have belts because prisoners were likely to
try to commit suicide. And, saggin' pants prevents you from running.
We as young Black people
have to be the ones to effect change. We are dying. The media has made a mockery
of the Black American. Even our brothers and sisters from Africa don't take us seriously. Something as
simple as pulling up your pants and standing with your head held high could make
the biggest difference in the world's perception of us. It is time to do right
by ourselves. We need to love and embrace each other. No one is going to do that
for us.
It all comes down to
perception. What people perceive is what reality to them is. We have to change
not only the media's perception of us, but we need to change our perception of
ourselves.
Remember all eyes are on
you Black Man. All eyes are on you Black Woman. All eyes are on your Black
Child. People point the finger at us and expect us to engage in negative and
illegal activities, to manifest loud, boisterous behavior, to spend our hard
earned money in their stores, buying goods we don't need, or really want. We
have allowed not only the media, but the government and the world to portray us
as a 'sub-culture'. They have stripped our culture down to the point where the
image of Black people is perpetuated as rappers, athletes, drug users, and
consumers of junk food, expensive tennis shoes, expensive cars, expensive TVs,
cell phones and not investing in homes for our families.
We are so much
more!!!!!!!
|