Dear Black People:

The other day in my journalism class, we were learning about historical black journalists. As we were discussing Ida B. Wells, a slide of information came up that said that she was one of the founders of the NAACP. Imagine my disappointment when my African-American professor did not know what the acronym ‘NAACP’ stood for. I literally could not believe it. This made me question how many other black people did not know what this famous acronym stood for, and if they don’t know what it stands for, how could they know what it stands for?

The NAACP is a prestigious group made up of people that range greatly on the melanin scale. This group advocates for all of the rights you have both as an individual and collectively. This group has been fighting for you for over 100 years. The least that you can do is know what it stands for. A black person not knowing what this acronym stands for is equivalent to not knowing who Martin Luther King is. Or Rosa Parks. Or Harriet Tubman. Frederick Douglass. Malcolm X. John Lewis. The list goes on.

So, for those of you who don’t know, the NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Knowing this simple information is key to knowing who you are. Are we so privileged today that we don’t bother to know the facts of our history? How our ancestors survived in a world of prejudice and segregation? How we will continue to survive in a world that is still far from perfect?

We are the same people that complain about the unlawful police brutality and yet hardly know any of the history behind it. There are so many black people who know just the basics of civil rights. Who could care less about anyone who died trying to gain the right for slaves to be free. Who could care less about all the nights other people spent in jail trying to gain the right for black people to vote. Who could care less about their own bloodline marching one foot in front of the other for basic human rights. So, yes, I was disappointed, because the NAACP is so much more than just an acronym and being black is so much more than the color of our skin.