Changes

The world renowned late American ghetto poet known as Tupac released a posthumous song called "Changes". I thought of this song today when one of my students said that I was trying to act like someone that I am not. He stated that I don't act "black" because I dress up, try to speak properly and follow directions. He believes that anyone from the hood should act like they are from the hood. This type of mentality has always been one of my pet peeves. I can't stand it when ignorance abounds, especially in "black folks" as Tavis calls us. While as a people we needed a unified rallying cry to help us gain confidence in our ability to succeed in America, there were a select few, however anecdotal, who chose to prosper and succeed despite the odds facing them. I'm not talking about the 60's, but two centuries prior. William Alexander Liedesdorff was the first African American millionaire. There is a street named after him in San Francisco. Madam CJ Walker was the first female African American millionaire. Considering the value of money during the 1800s, a million dollars was not easy to make. So where am I going with this? Changes can be made within oneself despite the circumstances that one sees. You are and will be who you see in your mind, and not necessarily who you see in the mirror.