Monday, 14 February 2022 / Published in Monday Motivation

Black Love!

(Originally published in The Award-Winning Soul Pitt Quarterly)

As a youth growing up in the east end of Pittsburgh, I faced many challenges. Even though I wore nice clothes and a big smile, my self-worth was on shaky ground. Too often I was quietly looking for the love and acceptance of others and that of my absent father. The struggle to grow and develop into a man or woman is even harder when your father is not around. The lack of confidence often leads you to seek love and affirmation in the wrong places.

There were times when I didn’t feel worthy or good enough and had to work through some deep-rooted issues with counseling and prayer. It is evident in the way we treat each other, that we as a community have multilayered issues to work through.

On a daily basis, Black people must deal with challenges that stem from the legacy of subjugation and discrimination. This injustice has a negative impact on our collective self-esteem. To confirm this oppressive environment in Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh conducted a study that deemed Pittsburgh one of the worst cities for Blacks in America.

However, we must do our work and reclaim the intrinsic value that is inside us as we continue to fight for equality and system change. We need to unlearn the implicit lie that Black is inferior and let go of the internalized racism. Know that we are awesome, lovable and it has nothing to do with Louis Vuitton, Nike or any other materialism, but what is inside of us! The stamp of our creator and the pride of our ancestors shines in the beauty of our skin and through the sparkle in our eyes.

Black is intelligent, Black is beautiful, Black is lovable. However, if we don’t first learn to love ourselves and see our value, who else will? It’s like confidence, if you are not confident about your value, others won’t be confident about what you bring to the table.

Our love is bigger than a t-shirt slogan. It is demonstrated in how we treat ourselves and each other! It is bigger than those who try to marginalize us. It can be seen in how we raise our children, how we love our neighbors and our community and more importantly in how we love ourselves!

Let not only our words but also our actions demonstrate Black love!

See link to purchase my book: Greatness Awaits You! 23 Ways to Unlock the Greatness Within on Amazon! Greatness Awaits You!: 23 Ways to Unlock the Greatness Within: Carter, Carlos T, Alaquiva, Emmai, Ghubril, Saleem: 9781737928102: Amazon.com: Books

<Make today great!

Remember, Greatness Awaits You!