Black Devotion to African Roots

A black friend posted a piece of African cultural music on face book to which responded honestly.


Pardon me, but my informed guess is that not one in a thousand blacks understand this language any better than I understand Gregorian chants. I appreciate the harmonies and the haunting quality melodies but I am not inspired to greater exertions of the spirit by such performances and I wonder ... other than the fact that the performers are black like you and the rhythms may appeal to you... what do you find here to recommend to an American audience that has not grown up in an African culture? What does it say to American blacks that still have to look for and hold an American job if they intend to be productive and contributing members of the nation that lost 360,222 men in the civil war fighting for their freedom?

I am not insensitive to the long history of black tragedy but this kind of distraction of blacks from their rightful...yes rightful...place in in our society is not helpful. I suspect that most people both white and black are woefully ignorant to the fact that most whites arrived in the colonies and later the United States, fleeing from indentured servanthood and serfdom in all the nations of Europe. (Serfdom is just another name for slavery in which they were the property of the land owners.)

You are well read. Have you read Michner's "Poland"? I'm not a historian or I could refer you to many, many more. We all ... white, black and hispanic better get a grip! If we don't come together against the forces that are even now tightening the noose around our necks we will be forced to accept slavery as the condition of our lives until a later generation with nothing but the eternal spark of hope for liberty to sustain them throws off these new chains and oppressors at great cost.

I believe you have great leadership skills within you. God is calling all of us to lead his people (white and black) out of bondage to unproductive modes of thinking including the pitting of race against race or age group against age group. Bless you my brother.