Originally written on Facebook, April 15, 2017, back when I had my African-Centered Education Program. Since then, I realize that the movie has a white savior narrative and does other things to help whites feel comfortable and like they just needed to be “nice” and that was enough to not fight like they should against racial terror. But that is often the case when Hollywood gets hold of a story.)
I bought Hidden Figures and am hoping/planning to show the movie to middle school students, at the school I’ve been guest teaching at. The cashier was sooooo excited; she said she’s about to go home and watch. She talked about how much she loved it.
This is where our little convo got interesting–you know me, I don’t care who is in line or who is around, I am going to speak life into Black children; So I said “Our Black kids need to know how smart we are as a race, because everything in the world is telling them that we are not smart.” (There was an elderly white lady near me, but hey, I figured that maybe she agreed too, lol)
The cashier shakes her head in agreement.
I was kind of taken aback that she was sure that I might not have known that Black people were such geniuses. It made me remember, that many if not most of us are brainwashed to think that way.
(As with any other race), we do have a lot of short-comings as a race, but smartness ain’t one. We’re brilliant.
Now, I have been brainwashed by whiteness in many ways (no one is immune), but black brilliance wasn’t one of them.
I have to remember that it is extremely common for many Black people to think they’re inferior in one way or another.
Below are other posts that are in the “Planting Seeds” category:
🌻Dear Black Children & Teens
🌻Celebrate Black Miracles Not White Mediocrity: My Healing
🌻Black Teen Life Stories: Equally Vital as Bible Narratives
🌻Positive TV: Abbott Elementary is Head of the Class
🌻The Healing Power of Regina Belle’s “If I Could”
🌻Black Girl Peace from Social Media Bullying
🌻Angel Halle: Black Girl with the Black Girl Hair
Interested in our other categories such as my spiritual journey, motherhood, mermaids, gardening and so on? Then Start Here & visit our Home Page!