Africa and Jill Scott look really good in her new HBO series The Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. The relationship between Africans and African Americans can be rocky because many Africans and West Indians view African Americans in a less than favorable light—weak, poor character, crazy, and no morals.
To use a term from the southern hip hop culture, I must say “naw dawg” to the idea of coming to a country we help build for free and inexplicably turning your African or Caribbean noses up at the descendants of slaves—the descendants of you. Dr. Martin Luther King’s quote about judging a man not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character should be put into to practice. Many African Americans think “Africans in America” reflect the whole vast continent but the only recent Africans the people in rural south Georgia have met is an occasionally pushy Nigerian businessman. Not to say most Nigerians are pushy or to say all Nigerians in Georgia are aggressive—MLK must be really proud of me right now.
To the original point, Jill Scott is lovely and a great test of character: would you still love an intelligent, sharp and beauty person if they got big…really big. Before the whole BBW movement, there were people who always like bigger people—more of them to love. I am personally disappointed with young men who marry or “start a family” with round behind young women without understanding that that behind will change with time and the relationship should be based on more…like her smile…okay, I am kidding.
The relationship should be based on many factors including moral and character matters. What about the complicity of the young lady who involves herself with a shallow guy and hopes it works out. Maybe those Africans in America have a point. And what about the contradiction that many bigger women would never date a successful and focused short man or the father from the projects who would never let his middle class daughter date a young man from the projects.
Should this rambling collection of generalizations and half thoughts be on a political blog? I think it should be because a better relationship with our African roots could help our American youth develop like a tree with roots—grounded and not fluttering in the wind. And the political and policy concerns of our community are the results of personal responsibility or lack there of. With skyrocketing government spending, we must find a way to reduce the cost of programs that address problems shouldn’t be problems at all. Crime, drugs, fooling around at school and poor parenting should be addressed by deliberate actions and reestablishing our moral compass as Black southerners and Americans of African decent.
Black, White, Yellow or Brown families should watch the whole Jill Scott series together. In fact, Scott’s image and style is also encouraging to a growing section of the population called everyone getting big and wearing it well. I need to run, literally.
http://www.hbo.com/no1ladiesdetectiveagency/cast/jill_scott.html
Project Logic Ga 