AMERICA'S MY HOME

When traveling abroad in Africa or in the Caribbean, I was known as, respected as, greeted as, and introduced as, an American. Not a black American. Not an African American. From what I have read in the autobiographies of other American travelers of African descent, the case has been the same, in Europe, Asia, Australia, and in the islands of the seas. Only in America, the land of my birth, and that of my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great-great grandparents, am I known as African-American or colored or Negro, or other less honorable names. We were physically here not only before there was any "America," but before there was a "Mayflower," itself. Yet, we remain its hyphenated citizens, denizens in our own land, our homeland! We, sable descendants of indentured servants and slaves, have shaped this country: culturally, politically, economically, spiritually, organically. Why should we step back and allow others to steal our prior birthright, our heritage, our entitlements, indeed, our very name: like Jacob did to Esau for a mess of porridge? Later-coming persons, whether immigrants and emigrants--or other insurgents--are better hyphenated by homelands, than us. We know no other language but English. We pledge no other flag but "Old Glory." We built this country with our brawn, ingenuity, and energy; and preserved it by shedding of blood, sweat, toil and tears. This land is our land! We will not be truncated, hyphenated, stapled to, and stigmatized by, any faction's phobias to a continent--albeit a beautiful and ancient land-- that is magically symbolic of our unknowable ancestors' unknown places of provenance! We are Americans! We have evolved into this consciousness. We do not demand, petition,entreat, nor beg. We assert, reclaim our birthright and its too-long deferred devises. bequests. gifts, grants, rights, hereditaments and appurtenances. As brother James Brown once sung in the 1960's era to the derision of some, including me: "America is my home." And, as I am here to stay, we are here to stay! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=252TrvSPoJg