Invisible People

In 2010, it seemed that African Americans still struggled to be visible in a society and culture that praises those that seek to ignore their blackness and embrace the idea of a colorless society. Those who seek to view their experiences through the prism of blackness are viewed as troublemakers and prisoners to a turbulent history unable to recognize that America has transcended the entanglements that defined so much of the past. The question remains,"If I still see racism and the way that blackness is criminalized and categorized as different, am I wrong?" Why is it that those who ignore their blackness or define it as inconsequential are rewarded and praised as progressive? Are the wounds of black people invisible? Do they not register on the collective conscious of America? It seems that we are still invisible, only gaining visibility by our willingness to shed our blackness and aspire to normalcy which in American society is whiteness. How long will we accept a system that forces us to keep our sufferings silent and our anger muted? We must continue to bring the beauty of blackness into the cultural landscape of America.