I have to get this off my chest. I don’t care about how many “likes” I get or if anyone comments — it’s not about that. I just want your attention and for us to re-evaluate. Thank u.
Don’t call me conscious. Conscious means to be awake — to be aware of what’s going on. What are conscious folks actually doing? Is being conscious about how big your afro is or how long your locks are? Is it about how much RBG you wear or how many ankhs you have on? Don’t call me conscious.
As I look around the “conscious community”, I see more jealousy, womanizing, back biting, selfish folks than I do genuine people that really care about each other. Our leaders and scholars cannot get along and are in competition with one another — preaching cooperative economics, empowerment and unity, but practicing self-first behavior and won’t give a dollar from their own pocket to help the cause. Don’t call me conscious.
“Conscious people” love to talk about church folk, but “conscious” people too are guilty of socializing only within our own individual organization or group. “Conscious” folk support things only if we personally have something to gain from it. Don’t call me conscious.
Conscious people love to attend lectures, read books, have meetings to discuss the latest issue in our community and hold rallies for racial injustices. But what is the “conscious” community doing with all this information? Don’t call me conscious.
What are we accomplishing as a “conscious” community? Yes, we are acquiring all this knowledge and information but what are we doing with all this knowledge? What benefit is it to know something but not utilize it?
We know that we are the original people. We know why we have been oppressed and who the oppressors are. Don’t call me conscious.
Being labeled as “conscious” means you are aware and awake, but how many “conscious” people are actually doing something? From my experience, there are a lot of “conscious” folks playing dress up in African garb, reciting quotes and lecturing….but not much action.
So, please…Don’t call me “conscious”…I want no parts of it. I want to be identified as someone actually doing the work. The “conscious community” talks about it; real change makers are doing it and are about action.
Written By: Zakiya Penny
