The 50 Most Positive Things I Know About African Americans: Featuring

By Danny Ray Christian

I realize that with this book, I am like a voice crying in the wilderness, as everybody else is crying at the sad state of the black community and finding nothing good to say about us. I dare to believe and argue that we are still mighty people, with much to be proud of. So what I have done with this book is just talk about what I personally feel are the strong points of the black as people and community. You can choose to say that I am living in a fantasy world if you want. But I am confident that African Americans are going to eventually show the world that they are indeed a noble race and that they have much to offer society. History has proven that when things are at their worst is when the tide changes and victory is won. I strongly believe that we are on the verge of a breakthrough as far as our overcoming the problems that presently beset us. I want to show with this book that we are as capable as any other race of growing stronger from the obstacles we face and struggle with. These hard times are ultimately going to make us stronger and give us a hell of a story to tell our grandchildren and write in the history books for future generations to read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543447590

Danny Ray Christian

Danny has been certified by Toastmasters International as a Competent Public Speaker (1991 East Moline). He received his GED from the Chicago City Colleges (1981) and obtained a certificate in Graphic Arts from Southeastern Illinois College (1987). He is a former member of the Pan-African Revolutionary Socialist Party. He spent twenty years in prison and ten in Elgin Mental Health Center. While in the hospital he wrote over eight-hundred poems, three books of daily meditations, and numerous speeches and Afro-centric anecdotes. He also acted as a mentor for younger consumers while there, leading his own peer-support groups and chairing GROW for four years (2003-07). You can contact him about appearing at your venue at [e-mail]

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Copyright © 2017 by Danny Ray Christian.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5434-4758-3

      eBook      978-1-5434-4759-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 08/24/2017

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 The 50 Most Positive Things I Know About African Americans

Chapter 2 The Love Of Black People

Chapter 3 Black And Proud: A Program For Maximizing Black Virtue And Genius By

Chapter 4 The Makings Of The Black Man

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

E VERYBODY NEEDS A pat on the back every now and then. African Americans are no’ less deserving of someone heralding their virtues and values than anybody else. Thus I undertake this endeavor to show that there is much worthy of praise in the Black community and among African American people. The qualities we possess will most likely also be seen as possessed by others, but I feel we have them in significant quantity that warrants them being noted as a particular part of our makeup. I have no doubt that even if some of these positive attributes are a little stretch of how we are currently living our lives that they are true of the people we are in essence. Whatever is lacking from our current display of these virtues only indicates that we have our bad days as well as our good. Everyone should note we can be as subject to go through a period when it seems like we have a death wish as everyone else, who must struggle with keeping the wolves at bay while keeping up the hearth. In other words, we are still in the process of juggling freedom with remnants of the trauma of slavery.

Much of what is keeping us from being complete examples of the successful is the residual effect of the tragic experience of slavery we are only recently understanding the psychological effects of. All this is to say that I feel it important to take advantage of any and every opportunity to sing the praise of those who show themselves committed to keeping up the fight even though the odds are against them. This is obviously the position of African Americans in this day and age. There are many aspects of the strength of the human spirit that Black people can personally attest to which entitles us to a day in the sun with all those who are beating back the forces of discouragement and pessimism.

CHAPTER 1

The 50 Most Positive Things I Know About African Americans

Black people are good for keeping a vigilant candle lit against the dark of night with their eternal confidence in the power of faith

M ANY PEOPLE HAVE a picture of Black people being some of the most downtrodden people on the face of the earth and see us as being hopelessly imprisoned in a state of despair. This is a faulty view of us as we are surely people of great stealth and serendipity. As an African American man I personally know that Black people are as capable of being world leaders as street sweepers. Yet the one thing that no one can deny us is the fact that we are prone to hold out hope long into the night regardless of how long the dawn is in coming. We have in essence concluded that there is basically nothing else for us to do if we hope to prove that we have more fortitude than those who would see us defeated postulates. We essentially understand that the fight is fixed as long as we do not abandon our post of looking for the cavalry of our second wind to come to our rescue.

I have no reservations about us being people who can not only go the whole fifteen rounds with adversity and all of life’s trials, but can also stand as champions of hope. If we have nothing else, we possess a keen sense of victory often coming in the final hour. This is one of the main reasons why I love my Black brothers and sisters as they assure me that no one need throw in the towel because they are pinned on the ropes. A crowning beauty of Black people is their ability to look the most hopeful when things look the worst. When you deal with Black people one of the first things you are going to encounter as a part of their personality is their tendency to see life through rose-colored glasses. Some would say that this is a fault due to the world being a place of such hardship and tragedy, but I pose that it is a blessing seeing that we can only hope to change the world by first seeing it in brighter shades of beauty and love.

It is to African Americans that the world owes a debt, for light being maintained in the night when everyone else have become frightened into snuffing out their candles of hope. It may appear that the light has gone out in our community as evidenced by all the violence and drugs that overrun our streets, but the truth is that the darkness which surrounds the light never diminishes its importance or radiance. The light still burns in us, it is just that the darkness is trying to put in a greater show of its pessimism. We are wise to not deny the light but to do all we can fan it and give it place in our individual hearts and spirits.

Exercise to build Black pride:

Light a candle or born a night light for those members of your family and race who are away from home dealing with some personal trials and struggle or pursuing a dream.

Question to inspire self-confidence:

Why must we keep the door of our heart open for those turned out in the night by life’s difficulties?

There is doubt-defying dynamism to African American’s personality

One thing that you will notice about Black people above everything else is their habit of going for the long shot. We are a people who believe that the odds are never so great against you that you have to stop believing in your ability to win any contest you are in. If there is no other reason why we should be admired H is our habit of saying to hell with what the statistics say we are going to bet on ourselves and the hand we have been dealt. This is the good part about having African blood running through our veins we don’t know what it is to holler uncle. I am willing to bet that there are not a hundred Black people in any location that do not have some money wagered on the tide soon turning in their favor. It is just not in the nature of African Americans to quit while there is still some chance of saving the house. We feel we can put out any fire that dares to rage against our oasis of optimism.

You can literally put Black people in front of a firing squad and tell them utter their last prayer and they will still maintain faith in that little seed of hope in their soul saving them. When you look at us you see not our ragged state but our hopeful promise. This is due to the fact that we are people who have been blessed with a disposition for planting crops where the water has flowed out of the valley, with the confidence that it will ultimately flow back in. I love it that people of my race are not too quick to give in to the dire predictions of naysayers and can instead keep moving forward even when all in against me.

It has to be that out of all the races God created that He would have to have a people who would prove that they do not need every assurance of circumstances or even Providence that they would win the final conflict with adversity. Due to what we have had to endure in our sojourn in this land it seems that we qualify as such a people. We should let no one take from us the reputation of being Bulldogs when it comes to holding on to our dreams and belief in the future.

Exercise to build Black pride:

Make your own list of the top 10 reasons why you think African Americans are dynamic people and use it to write 10 personal affirmations you can recite each day.

Question to inspire self-confidence:

What do yon see as the most dynamic feature of the African American community and how does it relate to the likelihood that we are going to overcome the struggles we currently face?

When the odds are greatest against Black people they shine the brightest

Black people seem to be naturally made to perform the best when the greatest pressure is put on them. We have traditionally been in our best element when the challenges were greatest before us. Therefore it is inevitable that we are going to be made stronger by the difficulties we currently face. If you want to see some real champion fighters put Black people in a fight for something they really believe in and want. Our most outstanding characteristic is displayed when we are going for the long pass in life. It is no question that we have overcome some great odds with our glamour still intact. If we had to name the one thing that identifies us as survivors and special people we would undoubtedly have to point to our ability to make a mud patch look like a crystal pool.

I have absolute faith in the fact that we are people who possess a distinct ability to show up the shining prince when the dark knight is ravishing the kingdom. We are people who do not let the dullness of our circumstance prevent us from looking like we just stepped out of an Ebony Man or Essence magazine. When all is darkest around us we show up with a candle to light the way. It goes to our credit that we never let our lights being turned off by the electric company stop us from having a house party to raise rent money. You surely have to love us for our never-say-die attitude towards life. I know that it sometimes seems like we are out for the count but we always manage to come back and win the fight. So even while the clouds hang ominously over us we continue to dance in the rain. How we skin the cat says a lot about our take on life being more meant to be savored than bemoaned no matter how bad it gets.

As long as we live you will see us celebrating the unpredictability of life. We have had so long a history of fighting off the storm that it is second nature for us to not be disheartened by our check coming on Friday when we expected it Monday. We can literally be running with our butt on fire and still refuse to sit on a pity-pot to douse the flames. You better believe that we are no Tea Partiers who only know how to get in a hissy when a brother is in The White House. We be the fools who set up a barbeque in the Rose Garden. Whatever you do don’t take our slow response to the house burning as a sign that we are sleep to what it takes to beat the bats out of our wig. When you look at us as a whole you will clearly see that we are well capable to not only fight our way out of a paper bag but that we also know how to carry all of our laundry in it as well, meaning that we know how to deal with life’s drama as it arises.

Exercise to build Black pride:

For one day or week try your best to maintain the brightest attitude you can toward your circumstance and the people around you. Keep a journal of how positive yon feel as a result of doing so.

Question to inspire self-confidence:

What was the moment when you realized that Black people were not only capable of singing the blues but could also make lively jazz?

Black people have the quant ability to squeeze blood out of a turnip

If there is absolutely nothing else good you can say about Black people you have to give us our props for knowing how to see a prince in a frog. Because we were stripped of everything we owned when we were brought to this country as slaves we had to find a way to make it with just the sweat of our brow. Never did we just sit down and say because life had dealt us a piss poor hand that we were going to stew in our misery. No, we took the whip and lash that was applied to our backs and used it to build up our faith and resolve to one day stand better men and women for the injustice that had been dealt us. No matter how hard you look into the psyche of Black people you will not find one ounce of defeatism. This is true as a general rule concerning African Americans. Since we first landed on these shores, or as Malcolm X said, Since Plymouth Rock landed on us, we have fought to prove ourselves greater than the obstacles before us.

Going as far back in our history even before we came to America, when we were living as kings and queens in Africa, you will see that we have known how to piece the frailest pieces of clothe together to make the most elaborate quilts of strength and determination. When you consider what was done to us by those dastardly monsters that enslaved us, you have to know we are made of the strongest material of the human soul. Yet we didn’t for a second hesitate to set about the work of searching for the needle in the hay stack for that one bit of fortune to make our dark day seem bright. That is the positive about what we endured as slaves, it gave us the chance to show the world and all of history that we have the genius of knowing how to get water from