The Importance of Africa to
Africans in America or African-Americans
By Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd

The importance of Africa is central to understanding the heart and soul of African-Americans or more properly Africans in America.

African-Americans live in highly technical modern environment and have no trouble mastering the ways of this society when given a fair chance to use the technology and see it's benefits.  However, Africans in America like our African brothers and sisters in Africa have been overwhelmed with the white beauty standards promoted all over the west.  And, to many of us here and even to a lesser extent our homeland brothers and sisters have similar ways of looking at shades of Black in terms of white western beauty standards.  As a result of such thinking there are many Africans in America who use skin lighteners to even their tone or even lighten their tone.  African-Americans or Africans anywhere else who use skin lighteners should wise up and stop this crazy behavior that supports white supremacy.

Those of us who are victims of white supremacy should not glorify our oppressors by trying to bleach skin to make it closer to white skin.

Hopefully, the majority of Africans all over the world from West Papua and New Guinea to Fuji to Africa to the Caribbean/South America region to North America can appreciate all of the shades of Black that we are as African People producing naturally all shades of Black and no one should prefer or favor one shade of black over another. Peter Tosh the late great Jamaican Reggae singer got it right with his song 'If you are a Black Man, You are an African. African People all over the world naturally produce all shades of Black. And of greatest importance to us is the fact that Africa is the homeland of all Africans all over the world.

We have to value our natural African selves as we were made in all of the beautiful shades of Black that we are.  We have to appreciate the natural hair, facial shade, color and features.  We must love ourselves consciously never favor any shade of Black that appears to be closer to white skin as the only beautiful African skin.  All shades of Black are beautiful.  As a people we do need to elevate our self-esteem.

However, when I traveled throughout the various regions of Nigeria (1977 to 1981) it was very obvious to me that each region of Nigeria produced Africans, Nigerians of every shade of black.  Every region had albinos without pigment or color who married there in their home region more times than not.

Although some of our Nigerian brothers and sisters are influenced by the extensive propaganda of the west these days, so too are we and yet Nigerians, African-Americans and all other Africans need to look inside our African culture more than following the west or anyone else blindly.

When you are in Warri, Sapele or any other costal Nigerian area or city, you may see some Nigerians with white blood in their veins but they are 100% Nigerians in culture and diet not western.  Every region of Nigeria produces albinos who are without pigment.  Again, they are completely Nigerian in culture and diet.  In Nigeria, people marry brothers and sisters from other tribal communities.  And, if we think some one who is light is closer to white than we really do not understand that who we are as a people comes from within our African soul. And, like our Nigerian brothers and sisters, we African-Americans produce all of the beautiful shades of Black.

We Africans all over the world have been producing all the beautiful shades of Black since the beginning of time and so shall it be in the future.

In the old brainwashed days some among us said if you are----- you are all right, if you are brown stay around and if you are black get back.  But, let us teach ourselves and future generations that each and every shade of Africa is Black and Beautiful.

African people all over the world come from Africa.  All shades of Black are African.  All shades of Black are African historically and culturally and our color is our gift from Africa our motherland no matter what shade of Black it is. And, that is the importance of Africa, the source of Blackness that embraces all of us no matter what beautiful shades of Black we may be.

If we can practice a real love and respect for ourselves as a people then maybe our precious young people will value each other realistically instead of fighting and internal wars we see too often in our communities. Black is beautiful and it is so beautiful to be Black.


Larry Ukali Johnson-Redd is author of Journey to The Motherland, From San Francisco to Benin City and his new book of poetry, History to Destiny, Through Afrocentric Poetry available at Eso Won Bookstore in LA and Zarah's Books in Inglewood,CA. Ukali's Books are also available at the KRST Unity Center of African Spirituality in Los Angeles. Ukali will read from his new book at Patricity and La Rue Presents Spoken Word and Truth Rancho Cordova, (near Sacramento) May 22.2004 and Ukali will read with Loretta La-Rue Duncan Fowler again in San Francisco at the African American Arts Culture Complex Saturday June 26,2004 beginning at 4:00pm. Ukali will be a presenter at the June 5th Los Angeles Black Book Expo. Ukali's books are also available at Marcus Books in (SF and Oakland )and Alkebu-lan Books in Berkeley. Ukali's website is journeytothemotherland.net. In Los Angeles Ukali's books are on sale at Eso Won Bookstore, and The Krst Unity Center in LA, and Zarah's Books in Inglewood .

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