Remember Who You Are....

Often times I struggle with my immigrant identity. I'm proud of my heritage but growing up there were plenty of instances both externally and internally (family members) in which my Jamaicaness was questioned or attacked. That struggle has carried on even today and gets riled up just about every February. In the US, February is Black History Month where we as a nation are supposed to celebrate and laud the accomplishments & contributions of Black folx. Growing up here though, it was always the same sort of narrative...Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass,  Martin Luther King Jr., and so forth. As a Jamaican American I always felt detached from those heroes...they are tied to my history but really still felt foreign. When a Jamaican was mentioned in class or otherwise, it tended to be Marcus Garvey who though being Jamaican represented such perceived "radical" ideals that he was regulated to the footnote category of Black History. As in he existed,  he had some ideas, they didn't work out but people liked him kind of thing, let's move. 


Recently I have been active in a Blerd (black nerd) group and someone else suggested that we as a group really try to step away from the stale narrative of our traditional black heroes and share others within the group. 

This post led to someone mentioning that Bob Marley had a February birthday and thus an intrinsic contribution to BHM. 

This also led me down a rabbit hole of information and interest connected to my heritage...aside from Bob & Marcus...who else could I look to as a Jamaican contributor to Black History. I came across this website (https://jamaicans.com/bob-marley-born/) and boy am I glad I did. 

I've added it to my goals to learn more about my culture,  my family and my history....I want to remember who I am.

Until next post...laters



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