I AM BLACK AND I KNOW IT!
Unfortunately being Black is accompanied by so many challenges, discomforts, weird tales and so on. It’s like a bad omen for some people. If you are Black and living in a “White mans” land then you can relate and know what I am talking about . I am a Black Kenyan girl living in Austria Europe.
I just call a spade a spade and not otherwise. That is why I embrace being Black. I don’t get offended when you refer to me as Black . I actually did not realize that I would one day be discussing My being born black. I even did not know I was “black” till I took the plane to Austria.
It’s so obvious that our skin colour is the first thing the other person sees when they look at you. What they see first is your skin colour before they can go ahead and differentiate you with your different characteristics.
There is this cliché that I feel uncomfortable with ” I don’t see your skin colour, I just see a human being .” Of Course we are all human beings and for someone to say that, they have seen your skin colour first and they are kinda trying to make you not feel bad about it. They battle not to mention your blackness on your face.
Is being black a bad thing? Some people think that being black comes with loads of problems or that its very unfortunate. They feel like they have to give you some “special treatment ” so you don’t snap and call them racist. How inferior are Blacks compared to the White people?
My Racism experiences started when I first stepped my feet at the Vienna International Airport two years ago. I travelled with a friend from Kenya and I suppose we were the only black people on the plane. A policeman checked our passports and we were told to follow him.
The police questioned us and since there was nothing wrong with our visas they let us go, but definitely not before they wore gloves and checked our bags and with two big fat dogs sniffing everything around us. At that time we were afraid that something was really wrong with us.
We were afraid of being deported back home. We did not understand and we probably thought it was Airport Protocol only that it was me and my friend been checked.
They did not find anything on us. Later when I got to have contact and interact with people is when I came to know that the police conduct random racial control… My personal story will be in another blog coming soon.
There was one time a white middle-aged woman almost bumped into me coz she wasn’t watching where she was going and the only kind thing to do is excuse yourself. She looked at me and was like “am sorry” and I said the same thing but in German.
She sat down and started apologizing that it was out of reflex that she spoke to me in English. She said, “…you know when I was working in London and I met, mmmh people who were not white, I spoke English to them…” That is the lamest thing I have ever heard. Was she trying to console me and not mention black people in my presence? That even offended me more. What language do people in London speak for heaven’s sake.
Another occasion that reminded me how black I was is what am about to narrate. I will not write down all the small details due to some obvious reasons. I went to pick up a kid that I love so much from school. Mind you he was 3 years old.
He starts his tantrums and argues that he just wants to be picked up by his dad. I tell him daddy is working and I’m the one to take him home. What he tells me next shocks me. And I quote, “…I don’t want Black! ” I ask him, “what is black?” He says ” that what is on your face..”
I was very astonished and tried explaining to him that I love him very much and regardless of our skin colour we are all Human. He snapped and said, “…no you are not a human being, You are a chimpanzee! . By then my adrenaline was boiling and I couldn’t take it anymore. It was out of my control…
This goes far to prove that kids learn very fast in their daily life from things they hear, see, read and are taught. How could a 3 yr old have such a strong weapon to fight me? It didn’t hurt that he called me black coz that is what I am, but it hurt that such a young kid could compare a black person to a chimpanzee which is historical whereby ‘Blacks’ were and still are compared to Monkeys.
To make it worse this kid was sometimes being told by his dad that am not black ,am chocolate but no one is allowed to bite me! Is that right people? Maybe it is humorous but I don’t think it’s something to tell kids.
Some other day I was walking at the park and a group of white guys were just calling me chocolate out loud, at the same time laughing. I ain’t chocolate and if I were I would have melted way long before I came abroad under the very hot sun of “Africa.”
I am happy just the way I am, black! Yes I agree there are very many skin tones. Some lighter, some darker and so on but do not refer to me as chocolate that you can eat or whatever.
If you have experienced any kind of racism please share your story. I will be glad to read your story.
36 Comments
Eva
Beautiful piece my dear, hang on there, ua skin maybe black, chocolate or whatever but u have a beautiful soul, Take care of it that’s what matters at the end of the day! Choose ua battle wisely after all life isn’t measured by how many battles we stood up to fight, it’s not winning battles that makes us happy, but it’s how many times we turned away n chose to look into a better direction. Fight only the most important ones, let the rest go. Be blsd I’m proud of you. Take care n press on.
mungaiciru
Eva thats powerful… ” life isn’t measured by how many battles we stood to fight,it’s how many times we turned away and chose to look into a better direction”
God bless.
juliet
Racism is everywhere imagine back at work this girl from Finland narrates of how she was warned concerning Africa. Sad thing is that they used to sanitize their hands upon shaking hands. They were told that they’ll get malaria n HIV/aids like c’mon who in our day n age doesn’t know the various mode of transmission of both conditions. Stereotypes r everywhere even among us Africans. The faster we stop judging others on their skin tone the better for all of us. We have so much to offer if only we embrace other peoples ideas n view n not shut them out coz of how they look.
mungaiciru
Juliet thats very sad. People should try see beyond the skin colour . Am curious when did this happen ? I mean your workmate being warned about Afrika.
juliet
Last month. She was medical student coming for experience but the good thing IS that she saw how different us “black” really are. She went ahead to say she would lav to come back not just as a student but qualified. All this shows that through interaction with different pple that’s wen u get to know who they are. Black or white it doesn’t matter. WE ARE WHO WE ARE FOR A REASON.
juliet
Last month.
eyerainverses
I like how you address the question of when one starts feeling black because when we leave our homes where everyone looks like us, we feel like our ordinary selves Kenyans, Ugandans etc, simply just African. It’s very interesting to study for example my little sister (5 years old) who was born here had not mentioned anything like this before until recently when a black boy in her Kindergarden revealed to her that they were both had dark skin, and some others had light skin. It is inevitable to see the differences in colour as our cognitive skills develop but I agree with you, the worst is when people tip-toe around it in the name of political correctness. That’s BS, if we cannot acknowledge the differences, we are bound fail to progressively address the imbalance and injustices we are subjected too vs. the privileges the dominant race gets to enjoy.
liz
a white who has never landed Africa has a very negative mindset unlike those who travels to Africa.
sometimes back I was in youth program in Canada and because my complexion is light a comrade asked me if one of my parents is white and I told her that I am pure black…she couldn’t believe until after we flew to Kenya and she met black people who were even lighter than I am.
mungaiciru
Liz thenx for taking your time to read. I think they should explore the world more and when they do that then they can decide whether we ‘blacks’ deserve less than ‘whites’
Anthonyosbey
Black is an adjective and never ever ever can be used to describe a person just as a reminder. People can however be a noun. Black doesn’t have a constitution as Kenya does. To call yourself black is to call yourself State less of which you are definitely not. You have a Nationality Kenyan continue to identify and be proud of the fact.
josina jose (@NyeriJose)
racism is there and it will never stop…..we are not black by our choices but our origin…they will never recognize smart brains from no man land as they called it during their….scramble….#shiruu we are here to proof to the world we can
mungaiciru
@nyerijose i kinda get what you mean by “racism is there and it will never stop” but i think people should be more educated on this topic. We should not be ignorant to discuss it and teach our children. We the “black nation” should at least get to be aware that we can be confronted by hurtful racist phrases,words other things in our day to day life. How we react to them is in my opinion what really matters.
For example i just got feedback that a certain girl bleached her skin just because people in her class were always telling her she is ‘too black’ and for the same reason of her being “too black” her boyfriend left her. She opted to go for skin lightening .
Anthony
It is a violation to call yourself or a human being an adjective. People are Identified by a Noun .
Anthony O
Black is an adjective and never ever ever can be used to describe a person just as a reminder. People can however be a noun. Black doesn’t have a constitution as Kenya does. To call yourself black is to call yourself State less of which you are definitely not. You have a Nationality Kenyan continue to identify and be proud of the fact.
Mariam musa
Hey gal, keep your spirit high it doesn’t matter which part of Africa you come from. Just prove to them whatever ‘whites ‘can do ‘blacks’ can do better. Am happy for you.
mungaiciru
I appreciate that very much my dear.
felister njoki
that a good piece ciru keep it up on educating people that being black is beautiful
Wamwangi
Newsflash everyone, we r not black either take a look at your skin tone next to something black and see the difference. Also for the record there aren’t any white people on earth either, it is just a color they picked to associate themselves with cos they don’t even know their color. A color doesn’t make up what or who a person is. We r all God’s children fearfully and wonderfully made in his image. Am African and proud of it.
"Anthony O. S. Bey"
Look up ” Carl Linnaeus ” in a search engine around the 1700’s. You will see this races talk origin started from him. Do you remember in the dictionary parts of speach and use of words? Such as an adjective and a
EllyBigB5
Amazing piece small Siz, I’m Impressed!
alexia jordan
i believe your speaking on behave of so many other people around africa who have experienced that racial discrimination..i truely understand you because i too am a victim of that.i have so many things to say n some few experiences to share.the most important thing is am glad your speaking this out today coz i guess those racist have to be reminded that we are stil human being n we are all equal.nice pieace of work.i give you all my support.kudos to your blog.
Jimmy
Good stuff Ciru..
Racism springs from the lie that certain human beings are less than fully human. It’s a self-centered falsehood that corrupts our minds into believing we are right to treat others as we would not want to be treated.
Alveda King
lara
I would imagine this before I experienced some of it and I am more imaginative at what my daughter will learn soon and how I am going to communicate to her so she never let’s go of her confidence because of some uninformed beings.
While you are at it, look into the story of evolution (if you are a free thinker) tell them where they really came from and who is the real homo sapiens……explore the world of natural plenties that life has to offer…
We “blacks” may appear less and we have accepted this over generations but the basics of human living would strongly point that we have not been in lack,inadequacy of resources…so much that we get a little curious and hard working to be innovative just like them…We have been naturally favoured and they need that which we have not explored and exploited our natural resources as we had no need to anyway……long story shortened…We are no less than them unless we allow ourselves to feel like it.
Looking forward to more!
mungaiciru
Thank you Lara for your feedback. Its already time you started preparing your lil girl what is out there and how people might confront her The best learning will come from you. She will definitely face the world out there with confidence.
Liz mwangi
Since i stepped to Dubai thats when i experienced racism,people from philippines cover there noses saying that we are duty and smelling they even end up asking if thats our natural skin tone. Asians as well they see as black and they still have black people in there country. I love my skin colour because i can survive the harsh weather in dubai without being worried that i will get sun burn. We should accept our colour and appreciate being black because in heaven we will not be judged according to skin tone. AM BLACK and I LOVE IT.
mungaiciru
Thenx dearie, we are proud to be who we are. Its very annoying that at this time skin tone is an issue.Those uneducated people should really get themselves some education and maybe, just maybe the world will be a better place.
Anthony Olie Shankle Bey
We are of the sun and nature surely will continue to protect us. The European is the real minority on the planet. They are using and have been using The Secret Treaty of Verona on the world and we mistakenly call it racism
Anthony Olie Shankle Bey
Black is an adjective and never ever ever can be used to describe a person just as a reminder. People can however be a noun. Black doesn’t have a constitution as Kenya does. To call yourself black is to call yourself State less of which you are definitely not. You have a Nationality Kenyan continue to identify and be proud of the fact.
ednah abby
Wow I love the article atleast I have learnt alot from.that article.its so real and expressed so well…
Kudos continue with the same spirit
mungaiciru
I appreciate sweetie. Wait patiently for many more coming. Life is real!
ednah abby
Good work girl.
Mary Wanjiru Kariithi
There is nothing as good and wise as accepting who you are without feeling otherwise. i have never experienced any racism but av heard experiences n i can imagine how demeaning it gets. I think when whites come to our country we treat them so well, we even want to say hey n shake their hands. N if u do that u would brag to your friends that “NILISALIMIA MZUNGU”. I think we should stop regarding them so highly too so that they don’t feel so superior and special than us. We are all human beings and equal before God. Skin tone is a minor detail to judge a person. We r complex!
ezzyie
Shiro Congrats on your first blogpost! I love your writing and can’t wait to read some more of your experiences. It’s sad but i found humour in it to:-)
I have had the unfortunate luck of experiencing racism twice, but I feel abit lucky because when I’m talking to some of my friends, they say that they have to deal with it on a constant almost daily basis! It is rather sad that something we have absolutely no control over, can breed so much hatred, suffering and controversy,I pray that one day people will be able to embrace differences, not just in skin colour but also in Religion, sexual orientation, Tribes and everything else that makes us human!
The ignorance of humanity proves that judging each other by the colour of our creation will never end! We can raise a generation of well balanced kids but they will still have to go out there into the world and get influenced by all the negativity, The only thing we can do is be self loving, and kind to ourselves that way it don’t matter what anybody says or does because we already know that we are ENOUGH!
Cheers
Ezzy
Femi O
This is the reality we live in for those people living in diaspora. I once had a close *friend* (who’s white of course) tell me I should lie about my nationality because I am black and from West Africa cos apparently he thinks people would not accept me for being black. Another funny experience I had was when I was having a discussion with another *friend* whom I asked to help pass my CV to his boss since he just got promoted and the post is vacant. Well to my surprise, he said they would not hire me, I asked why .. he couldn’t give me a good reason but finally told me that its because I am black. I was shocked and he went further to tell me that it wouldn’t sound nice if a client that has a multi million dollar business is calling and the person that answers the phone is black, then they might lose client or stuff … I was shocked, I couldn’t understand but I didn’t want to continue the discussion because I was getting mad already even though I had lots of question…(one of them is should I be judged on the tone of my voice or the colour of my skin to get a job? )…. I can go on and on and on but like I said this is just the reality in which we live in and we just have to accept and enlighten people that wants to be enlightened but for those that don’t want to be, everyone has a right to his/her opinion. I had a smile on my face when I read the part of your blog that says you never knew you were black until you landed in Vienna, well that’s same for me and I guess most people that lives in diaspora will agree with this.
mungaiciru
Wow Femi O, I was just gasping reading your comment. Thats so sad that you went through all that. I hope you finally got a job. We cannot hide who we are coz it always shines to the world who we really are. We are all human beings regardless of our skin tone. No one has a right to judge anyone because of skin colour.
lavinia nyambura
Go go go swty am proud of u…keep on girlie n congrants cant wait to read more of ur blog post cheers