Take a second and think about what the everyday African American looks, thinks, and acts like. Do you have that image in your head yet? If you picture a "street thug" or a "welfare queen," then I'm sorry, that's a very stereotypical picture you came up with. I'm not trying to say that those types of people don't exist in the black community, they obliviously do, but those images have unfortunately become the backdrop on what "being black" is.

We as African Americans think if we step out of what we consider "black things" (not speaking proper English, disrespecting authority, listening to "trap" music, etc.) you're labeled a wannabe "white boy/girl" for not "being black enough." Think about that. Do you see this concept being applied to other races of people? The notion of an African American not fitting into the stereotypical conventions is absurd to yours truly. There is no "right" way for an African American to act and for someone to say that they're "stepping out of line" sounds rather discriminatory.

This idea of not "being black enough" extends further into the political realm. African Americans overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton (Democrat) in the 2016 Presidental Election while Donald Trump (Republican) got very little of the vote. This is a prime example of certain actions that constitute something as "being black." African Americans think that them voting Democrat makes them "black," despite the Democratic Party's history on defending slavery, their founding of the Ku Klux Klan, opposing civil rights, and who could forget about Lyndon B Johnson's "I'll have them niggers voting for the next 200 years"?

African Americans have this mindset that the Republican Party is the party of bigotry and racism, but that is definitely not the case. The Republican Party was the party that freed the slaves, gave women the right to vote, and overwhelmingly supported the 1964 Civil Rights Act. African Americans think that if you step out of the Democratic/Leftist way of think then you are labeled a "coon," "Uncle Tom," "sellout," you name it. It doesn't matter where you lie on the political spectrum, you believe in what you believe in and your skin color shouldn't be a factor on what you think is the right thing for your community.

While on the same subject of politics, we often prop up people who we think are doing legitimate things for the African American community like Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, and many others, but they are of no help. These so-called "leaders" use the tactic of race-baiting in order to push their divisive agenda, thus driving the racial divide further. We have black independent thinkers like Thomas Sowell and Carol Swain that want the black community to succeed through other means but their voices fall on deaf ears.

If they have such good ideas, why don't we as black people don't listen to them?

You see, in the black community, we aren't as successful as the other races and the black "leaders" use the excuse of "the man is keeping us down" (the white man) and the black community eats it right up. Black leaders who think independently tell the truth about what's really the cause on why the black community isn't succeeding (black children being born to single mothers 75% of the time and black on black violence). The black community will be surprised that a black intellectual is thinking outside the box but will, unfortunately, shun them and say that they are "selling out" and that they really don't think that.

As Black History Month comes to a close, just remember that we as black people are diverse as any other race. Our skin color doesn't define us and we come in a variety of shades, live in different countries, and have our own set of beliefs. We are not a monolith of people that think alike, we have the individual experiences that we can recount. Your skin color, gender, or sexuality doesn't define who you are. Your actions and beliefs define who you really are and if you have a set of beliefs that are potentially dangerous, your physical appearances are irrelevant and you will be rightfully vilified. Just keep in mind that we, black people, are human beings as well and that we don't have to fit into a certain mold in order to please others.