It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others….One ever feels his twoness—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.
—W. E. B. DuBois, author, intellectual, historian, sociologist
From The Souls of Black Folk


“We the people”—it is a very eloquent beginning. But when the Constitution of the United States was completed on the seventeenth of September in 1787, I was not included in that “We the people.” I felt for many years that somehow George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in “We the People.”
—Barbara C. Jordan
The first black woman to be elected to the Texas Senate
U.S. Congresswoman from 1972–1978


There is no Negro problem. The problem is whether the American people have loyalty enough, honor enough, patriotism enough, to live up to their own constitution.
—Frederick Douglass
American abolitionist, lecturer, author, and slave


My father was a slave and my people died to build this country, and I'm going to stay right here and have a part of it, just like you.
—Paul Robeson
Athlete, singer, actor, and advocate for the civil rights of people around the world


This week on Twitter, I had the pleasure—no, the honor—to tweet thoughtful quotes by contemporary and historical African American authors and writers. The initial idea popped into my head without me really consciously understanding the impact reading and posting these quotes would have on me.

But the analytical person inside me started to pull out the sociological significance of what some of these people were saying. This gave me pause as I began to replay some of my own feelings related to being an African American. Do I personally feel the duality that surfaced in many of their sayings or writings? I’d have to say yes.

W. E. B. Dubois is one of my favorite thinkers. I just love the way he worded things. So elegant. So respectful. Yet powerful and direct. Those who want to speak the truth in love may want to take some lessons from the writings of this man. His quote that I posted at the top of this post is just so true. In my everyday life, I find myself consistently trying to balance the “two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals.” It can be tiring, let me tell you.

I often hear it said that we need to go back to the foundations of our great country. Has anyone thought about what going back sounds like to an African American? For many of us, going back to any roots may have us reliving Roots (the bestselling 1970s book and movie by Alex Haley). We don’t want that. When people mention going back to the founding fathers, it is hard for an African American not to think of those men as slave owners or the framers of the Constitution as exclusively referring to white people. Can I get a “holla!” that the Constitution gave room for growth within its lines? That had to have been divine intervention, or we would have been screwed.

African Americans have a very different historical perspective than white Americans—and I would think that could go without saying. Many of us want to move forward together, yes. But to go back to anything? Not so much. I would have to be fair and say that every culture has very different historical perspectives. So why not look for ways for all of us to move forward into something more positive for our country?

I can tell you that there is no other place in the world I would want to be (except Tuscany, but that’s another blog) other than America. I love being an American. I love being in America, but I feel that America has a very sordid past that really should be grounds to learn from and move past, not to return to.

Another thing that I hear is when people mention going back to the Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver days. Again, what was that time like for African Americans? Yeah…, so let’s not talk about going back.

My motivation for writing this is to encourage us all to be culturally sensitive. We have come such a long way together, and almost like marriage, it ain’t been easy.

Just understanding this little bit is so expansive to me—freeing even. It helps me to put a finger on what is that uncomfortable feeling I get when people start talking about going back to the foundation of our country or going back to the simple, traditional family values of the 1950s and 1960s. I understand that even without the cultural complexity there, the past is not something to return to. It is something to learn from, something to help us position ourselves for the best present and future we can hope for. I am excited because, I know that we all, as a country, will continue to find ways to move together into a future that has so much promise.

Disclaimer: I am one black person, and I cannot possibly speak for all black people. Just a little note to consider. Thanks for reading!

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