The Black African American

So I read this article
About African-Americans
Who say that they
No longer want the African presence in their name

They just want to be Black
They say
They want the African part to go away

Its a reminder of slavery to them
Of a past that will never be overcome
As long as they are African-American

It's a negative stigma
They believe
One that brings to them no relief

I say how can you deny
Your roots, the basis of your design?

You say adding Africa to your name
Makes others see you as a slave?
I say NO!
I come from kings, and queens, and warriors
A people so willing to give to others
That they never saw the coming of their demise

A people who weren't aware of the evils lurking
Primped and primed ready to remove them from all existence
They bred a nation that transcended generations
That when the most drastic attempts were made to snuff them out
They survived...

I come from a land that was so fruitful
Anyone who came across it just knew they had to have it
You don't wanna be an African you say?
You wanna be a Black American today?

You wanna be Jamaican, Haitian, Dominican, Bajan?
But you don't wanna be African?
Then everything the others have done to wipe us out
Has been truly successful.

Because in this day and age
After all the fighting,
After all the fussing
After all the pain
We're still willing to look our heritage in the face
And turn our backs.

I am an American. It's where I was born
I am an African. It's where my ancestors, and therefore I, was created.
I am Black. It's where my pride and my power is.
I am not ashamed. I embrace who I am, and ALL that I am. And I shall let no man belittle my soul by making me hate him OR my legacy.