Dear Black Graduate,
First things first, congratulations on a major accomplishment! In a world where you are the minority, things like graduating from college is a milestone in itself. In a world where the black person is systematically not made to achieve and believe in a dream, graduating from college is one of the ways to prove the system wrong. In a world where they do not want to see you win because of the color of your skin; graduating, now that’s a slap in the face to those that are praying on your downfall.
You have studied, learned, achieved, and planned for this day in which our ancestors would have seen as an unrealistic dream. Your hard work and grace come from the fruit of our ancestors and, it has been passed down to their black children who have passed it down to us in order to keep the dream alive.
So, on graduation day remember to “KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE” as you take on the cruel world whose, one goal is to hold us down utilizing invisible shackles. And, I know it is difficult to prosper due to the sole fact that many people may not take you seriously, your interests are not their interest because it’s coined as “too black”. Do not worry, many people are just yet enduring the true power of an educated black person. I know the struggle of what it is like to be valued solely based off the things that can be appropriated: our music, our fashion, our slang. But, we will teach those to value us based off of our intellect, our intelligence, our hard work, and our rich culture.
Courtesy: Pinterest
Yes, it is tough being a person of color in America but, we do not want pity. Remember that your skin glows and feeds off the energy of the sun, making you all-powerful and unstoppable. Remember that “you are toasted with beauty and enameled with grace” and you will always obtain something that many people will try to imitate and attempt to duplicate but, they cannot. Remember that we continuously have young black boys and young black girls looking up to us as we shape the world they have to live in; as we shape opportunities for them that we may not have had the luxury of having. We have to use our intellect for the greater good!
Also, for many of us, we are first-generation college students and to accomplish something that our parents did not have the ability to makes us all that powerful. Remember to move with grace because every waking moment there is a person dying to see you lose solely based off of the color of your skin. It is okay not to fit the Eurocentric ideals because that makes all the more unique. Malcolm X says that “education is our passport to the future. For tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today” meaning we are the future. We are the change we want to see. Congrats and continue to radiate.