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Challenging Eurocentrism: The Death and Rebirth of Black Culture in America [1]

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Date: 2023-02-28

The activist Stokely Carmichael, pictured here at a 1966 rally in Berkeley, Calif., took a stand against white oppression and helped popularize the term black power - Taken from a Times article

To fully grasp the frameworks discussed in this writing, it is necessary to provide two definitions in support of my argument. Firstly, Eurocentrism refers to the use of European values as the fundamental source of meaning which creates nations, groups, and individuals that develop attitudes based on European values. Secondly, culture can be defined as the construction of meaning in day-to-day life. Through colonization, Eurocentrism destroys culture. Black lives have been oppressed through enslavement, torture, rape, lynching, and other forms of violence. Black countries are exploited, and genocides are frequently ignored by mainstream news outlets. Therefore, I argue that Eurocentrism and its framework represent the death of black culture, as black people have been stripped of everything.

The United States of America has followed in the footsteps of Europe and is also centered on whiteness. It was built on the labor and sweat of black people who were enslaved, killed, and raped. It is essential to understand that the history of Black Americans has been erased, regardless of whether they are African, African American, or Caribbean. If one's skin is black, they are being erased in ways they may not even recognize.

From the 1600s, Black Americans have been oppressed in unimaginable ways. They have been trained to work and be second-class citizens. Even when they gained rights such as education, housing, voting rights, and employment, it wasn't their original culture. They were integrated into society and supposedly viewed as equal to white people, but the white man lives in a different world. The continuation of the westernization of human consciousness has killed black consciousness, resulting in a loss of self. The formation of western consciousness through technology, education, and media creates a loss of history, a lack of appreciation for oneself, and one's culture. It is therefore necessary to question the westernization of everything continually.

However, political movements such as the Black Panther Party and influential civil rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X emerged after World War II to question and change black consciousness. This was bound to happen because of the psychological and physical alienation caused by racism.

Despite the challenges, Black Culture has always been prevalent and is still evident today through resistance. Many musical forms, such as gospel, spirituals, hip hop, and reggae, are documented through oral traditions. Art is what keeps black people alive in many ways.

I argue that the best way to move away from the eurocentric viewpoint of the world and America is to adopt an Afrocentric perspective. This perspective would allow us to journey through our historical background and culture, reconstructing what history has taught us. We would find many hidden parts of our history, empowering black consciousness and identity. Black Americans would feel the liberation that has been stripped from them.

It is also essential to address why people look at black people as if they are lazy when they find meaning in music, dancing, sex, party, and drugs. Many drug epidemics have been implemented by the government in efforts to suppress the black nation. However, one day the black nation will rise, and our consciousness and soul will no longer be divided. We must understand that it is time to uplift one another, regardless of our class, gender, religion, and sexuality. Hating the system will not get us anywhere, as W.E.B. Du Bois says, "We must rise above the veil."

As black people, we cannot be racist; we can only hold prejudice. We must work twice as hard, code-switch, and unite. I know our struggle is long and painful. However, there is a light within all of us, and it must shine. We must bring forth our truth and let our lives speak. I am Rah X, the future, the past, and the present.

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