Millennial: a person born in the 1980s or 1990s.
African American: A black person of African descent who is now an American native
Black. Millennial. Male. Female. What these words have in common? These words are a challenge to society and a challenge to outweigh the circumstances. It may wrestle and rumble with the goals we have, but I am glad to say that it's a chance to go beyond the distance. As we look at people like Stevie J or Amber Rose and as an African American community, we ask ourselves, "Is this who we really want to be?" I understand that some people have goals of becoming rich and famous, yet is that what we really want? Even though the majority of us are millennials, we have a chance to go outside of what we see on TV.
Let me list some TV shows that predominantly have African Americans. "Love and Hip Hop," "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," and "Black Ink Crew." Now, I'm not bashing their hustle and grind. However, when you look at one episode of these shows. Its nothing but shocking and disappointing. The language, the physical fighting, girls having half the clothes they have on, it's sad. Now, I'm not saying that I'm better than everybody, and I'm not saying half of these artists do not grind to the best ability. If there is one thing about the African American community is that we always strive for less instead of wanting more other than fame and fortune. Instead of picking up a champagne glass as you see in music videos, how about picking up the phone to find out ways to build a homeless shelter.
There are also other problems that African Americans have observed and copied such as challenges on social media and gang violence. For black men, in this society, the only way to get rich quick is selling drugs. For black women, the only way to get rich quick is becoming a stripper. Instead of those options, we should strive to get an education and finding a dream job to accomplish and give back to the community for those who are unfortunate to see the bright side. I look at other African Americans such as Taraji P. Henson, Jordan Peele, even Beyoncé herself! These people have demonstrated a pathway to becoming better than the circumstances.
One more thing, have we ever looked back on our history as well? If we looked at people such as Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, or Diane Nash. You truly see people who fought for a better world. Every time I have the sense of giving up on my passion or throwing away my dreams, I look back on those names and I kept going. As millennials, we must have the courage to look back on how far we've come as a community. There are two quotes I would like to share with two famous people.
"I knew that I lived in a country in which the aspirations of black people were limited, marked-off. Yet I felt that I had to go somewhere and do something to redeem my being alive."
-Richard Wright
"Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper."
-Beyonce'
