A Dispute between African American Cultures: A Rise on Violence In Everyday Life

            From the beginning of time some African Americans were broken apart and the ideas from Willie Lynch had a lot to do with it. From the website link http://www.iupui.edu there was an original letter he gave to the plantation slave owners’. It was called “Making of a Slave” and it has carried on throughout generations and unfortunately his points are still relevant.  For an example, he explained how old man vs. young man, man vs. woman, light skin vs. dark skin, and simply calling each other “niggas”. Think about it … men are paid more than women in society, black people have a “Team Light Skin” and “Team Dark Skin”, and the work “nigga” was to insult African Americans. In my opinion, I feel that Willie Lynch Letter is still in effect because I hear black people all the time call each other “niggas” and I hear it in rap songs. I feel that black people should not be upset if a different race calls them a “Nigga” because if your own race can do it …others can too. 

            I feel that African Americans spend more time degrading one another and not supporting each other as a culture. My culture expresses their emotions and feelings on how they want to destroy one other and how they support it. I feel that a lot of rappers encourage youth to have violence. The impact of a song can create violence. For an example, you really don’t hear about gunfire being fired at any other youth race parties but African Americans. From the link http://www.sohh.com/ gives exact words from the rapper Chief Keef stating “Raise the murder rate up” and hash tags across the internet saying “#ImfinnaRaiseTheMurderRateUp”. This is a prime example on how a lot of rappers intentions. Another website is from http://www.redstate.com/ talks about plenty of stories but one I particular is with Trayvon Martin. Think about it … when you see an African American man wearing a black hoodie …you tend to keep your eyes on them and become scared. My observation I realized that African American only wear black hoodies on an everyday casual look. The streets of Chicago, IL have the highest murder rate in the country; the nickname “Chiraq” was given to Chicago. 

           Willie Lynch’s letter still reinstates the problems in the black community ranging from light skin vs. dark skin, old vs. young, and male vs. female. We as a culture has not risen from this mental enslavement from our minds and I quote Wilie Lynch stated “Keep the body, take the mind”. He also wanted to concentrate on the future generations. Willie wanted to make a strong establishment on the generation that he was in so it could carry on throughout the future generations of slaves. As a result black people as a whole has become divided and continuously enslaved mentally; and he has won with his opinions and observation because hundreds of years later African Americans are still doing what he said we would do.

By: Gabrielle Barnes

http://www.iupui.edu/~blacksu/PDF%20Documents/Documents/WillieLynchLetter.pdf

http://www.sohh.com/2013/12/after_chief_keef_promises_to_raise_the_m.html

http://www.redstate.com/diary/tomjeffersonsghost/2013/07/15/the-cold-hard-truth-about-black-culture/