The Monsters We Defy

by Leslye Penelope

We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. —Marcus Garvey

“Can’t let folks like that get to you none, the ones always trying to tear you down. Nothing gets built up that way.”

“I told Dr. Woodson hiring that boy was a mistake. There’s a genetic inferiority that manifests among the lower classes. It’s not their fault, but there’s a reason they don’t manage to get far in life.”

Its crazy that black people were so divided that they would say somethin like thus about each other. The classism and colorism was shameful but this is what the white man wanted and the upper class black felt like they needed to separate and defibe themselves as superior and white to get ahead when they were of lighter skin tone which we know was caused by the rapes of our black women by white men

Colored folks, no matter what class, need each other.

We are still divided now and that is why we cant get ahead. Together we are powerful than any other.

Professor Hansberry taught us about a concept they have in Africa—in Swahili it’s called utu. In Zulu, the word is ubuntu. It translates to ‘humanity,’ but what it really means is ‘community.’ I am because we are. Our humanity is tied together.”

“Our people were torn from their land, couldn’t speak their language or pray to their gods anymore, got split into house Negroes and field Negroes, had their families torn apart and sold off, and then go on to perpetuate the same biases on each other. It’s no wonder our destinies were ripe for the plucking. But we have to break the cycle.”