The Dream. The American Dream. Their American Dream. Brother Coates, I see clearly the dream you are referring to in your beautiful letter to your son Between the World and Me. If only all black children understood that this dream that the country plays out for them is, in fact, not for them; but it does include them.
They may not enjoy the white picket fences, the beautiful lawns, or the Tonka trucks in the backyard. But they surely understand who built the fence, who cut the grass, and who made those trucks. They may never understand the luxury of walking down the street without a worry in the world, or walking into a store without the sales associate asking every second if they need help, or if they are in the right place, or driving down the street and getting pulled over knowing that the cop will feel safer around them. But they do understand who created this beautiful country that the dreamers love to claim as their own. Understand, my brothers and sisters, we were not pictured in their "Dream". We were not supposed to be able to read, to write, or have a mind even. We were not intended to be seen as people. We were not supposed to be seen as more than merely a physical black body in their world. We were not intended to be free.
But I say this as my crying plea to my people. Although you were not intended to enjoy their dream, you are the strange, yet beautiful fruits of their Dreams. Understand that the Declaration of Independence, which is held as one of the most profound and sacred documents that give everyone in America life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, was not intended for you. But that should not stop you from finding happiness and fighting for freedom until the day you leave this world. Understand that America, the land of the free and home of the brave, was not made to protect you, but rather designed for you to fail. Slavery never ended; it just evolved.
The 13th Amendment did not set you free. No law sets you free from that bondage, my brothers and sisters; knowledge does. Don’t work twice as hard, or be three times as smart, because that is what we’ve been told our entire lives! Do not even compare yourselves to them! Make your own standard. Make your own path. Make your own Dream. Brother Hughes, I write you today saying that your dream is not forgotten. I do believe that I too, am America. But we cannot get caught up in their Dream. Because yes, we may be sitting at the table the next day, but the next week we can easily be a black body on the news just to be shared as a hashtag on Facebook. We do not live in a post-racial America, we do not live in an America free of corruption, misogyny, or dehumanization. Because of this, you must always remember to love yourself, love your mind, and love your body. If not, the Dreamers will find a use for all of it--like they have the past 400 years.
I am the unwanted fruits of their American Dream. I understand the place I call home was not designed for me to be happy, to find peace, or to have freedom. I understand that the founding fathers of this country, who painted the image of a place where all people were created as equal and had inalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, were not thinking of me when writing these words into existence. I understand that there has been a system in place since slavery for people who look like me to be oppressed as long as they are on American soil. I understand that I am not supposed to enjoy the American Dream.
Although I understand that this country has enslaved, dehumanized, oppressed, and stripped my people of their rights and history since the first day blacks stepped foot in America, I do not allow these truths that have been self-evident to hinder my goals, aspirations, and dreams. For I am the fruits of America’s Dream, no matter how far they want to bury me into the ground. Without having a sense of self-identity, it is very hard to lead yourself. But that is the difference between the world and me. I am the fruits of the American Dream, and I love it. I am not your Negro.
