Pan-Africanism : Is Smokey Robinson African?

The Black American……

I love being Black. I love being called Black. I love being an American.
I love being a Black American, but as a Black man in this country I think it’s a shame
That every few years we get a change of name.

Since those first ships arrived here from Africa that came across the sea
There were already Black men in this country who were free.
And as for those that came over here on those terrible boats,
They were called *****h and slave
And told what to do and how to behave.

And then master started trippin’ and doing his midnight tippin’,
Down to the slave shacks where he forced he and Great-Great Grandma to be together,
And if Great-Great Grandpa protested, he got tarred and feathered.


And at the same time, the Black men in the country who were free,
Were mating with the tribes like the Apache and the Cherokee.
And as a result of all that, we’re a parade of every shade.
And as in this late day and age, you can be sure,
They ain’t too many of us in this country whose bloodline is pure.


But, according to a geological, geographical, genealogy study published in Time Magazine,
The Black African people were the first on the scene,
So for what it’s worth, the Black African people were the first on earth
And through migration, our characteristics started to change, and rearrange,
To adapt to whatever climate we migrated to.
And that’s how I became me, and you became you.

So, if we gonna go back, let’s go all the way back,
And if Adam was Black and Eve was Black,
Then that kind of makes it a natural fact that everybody in America is an African American.

Everybody in Europe is an African European; everybody in the Orient is an African Asian
And so on and so on,
That is, if the origin of man is what we’re gonna go on.
And if one drop of Black blood makes you Black like they say,
Then everybody’s Black anyway.

So quit trying to change my identity.
I’m already who I was meant to be
I’m a Black American, born and raised.
And brother James Brown wrote a wonderful phrase,
“Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud! Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m proud!”



Cause I’m proud to be Black and I ain’t never lived in Africa,
And ‘cause my Great-Great Granddaddy on my Daddy’s side did, don’t mean I want to go back.
Now I have nothing against Africa,
It’s where some of the most beautiful places and people in the world are found.
But I’ve been blessed to go a lot of places in this world,
And if you ask me where I choose to live, I pick America, hands down.

Now, by and by, we were called Negroes, and after while, that name has vanished.
Anyway, Negro is just how you say “black” in Spanish.
Then, we were called colored, but ****, everybody’s one color or another,
And I think it’s a shame that we hold that against each other.

And it seems like we reverted back to a time when being called Black was an insult,
Even if it was another Black man who said it, a fight would result,
Cause we’ve been so brainwashed that Black was wrong,
So that even the yellow *****hs and black *****hs couldn’t get along.

But then, came the 1960s when we struggled and died to be called equal and Black,
And we walked with pride with our heads held high and our shoulders pushed back,
And Black was beautiful.

But, I guess that wasn’t good enough,
Cause now here they come with some other stuff.
Who comes up with this **** anyway?
Was it one, or a group of *****hs sitting around one day?

Feelin’ a little insecure again about being called Black
And decided that African American sounded a little more exotic.
Well, I think you were being a little more neurotic.

It’s that same mentality that got “Amos and Andy” put off the air,
Cause’ they were embarrassed about the way the character’s spoke.
And as a result of that action, a lot of wonderful Black actors ended up broke.
When we were just laughin’ and have fun about ourselves.
So I say, “**** you if you can’t take a joke.”
You didn’t see the “Beverly Hillbilly’s” being protested by white folks.

And if you think, that cause you think that being called African American set all Black people’s mind at ease…..

Since we affectionately call each other “*****h”,

I affectionately say to you, “*****h Please”.

How come I didn’t get the chance to vote on who I’d like to be?
Who gave you the right to make that decision for me?
I ain’t under your rule or in your dominion
And I am entitled to my own opinion.


Now there are some African Americans here,
But they recently moved here from places like Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Zaire.
But, now the brother who’s family has lived in the country for generations,
Occupying space in all the locations
New York, Miami, L.A., Detroit, Chicago-
Even if he’s wearing a dashiki and sporting an afro.

And, if you go to Africa in search of your race,
You’ll find out quick you’re not an African American,
You’re just a Black American in Africa takin’ up space.

Why you keep trying to attach yourself to a continent,
Where if you got the chance and you went,
Most people there would even claim you as one of them; as a pure bread daughter or son of them.
Your heritage is right here now, no matter what you call yourself or what you say
And a lot of people died to make it that way.
And if you think America is a leader on inequality and suffering and grievin’
How come there so many people comin’ and so few leavin’?

Rather than all this ‘find fault with America’ **** you promotin’,
If you want to change something, use your privilege, get to the polls!
Commence to votin’!

God knows we’ve earned the right to be called American Americans and be free at last.
And rather than you movin’ forward progress, you dwelling in the past.
We’ve struggled too long; we’ve come too far.
Instead of focusing on who we were, let’s be proud of who we are.

We are the only people whose name is always a trend.
When is this **** gonna end?
Look at all the different colors of our skin-
Black is not our color. It’s our core.
It’s what we been livin’ and fightin’ and dyin’ for.

But if you choose to be called African American and that’s your preference
Then I ‘ll give you that reference

But I know on this issue I don’t stand alone on my own and if I do, then let me be me
And I’d appreciate it if when you see me, you’d say, “there goes a man who says it loud I’m Black. I’m Black. I’m a Black American, and I’m proud

Cause I love being an American. And I love being Black. I love being called Black.

Yeah, I said it, and I don’t take it back.
 
being afrakan

Smokey, is misquided. You cannot disconnect from your mother. Yes we have survived here, some of us have so-called made it but look at us, we are a self-hating people for the most part. OUr roots are in Afrika. OUr soul is is Afraka, our ancestors are in Afraka. How dare he ask any person of AFrakan heritage to deny this and make believe that we shouldn't love our motherland.

Smokey is very individualistic and selfish. Just because he got a little cash, white folks approve of him, he wants to pretend that he got all his talent all his soul all his everything from the moon!

No!, he got if from Afrika.

We are mere vessels carrying the the blood of our ancestors.

Several of my friends live in Afrika, have visited Afrika, love Afrika and yes Afrikans from all over want us there and hold ceremonies welcoming us home.

Too bad the brother is confused. May the ancestors forgive him.
 
pdiane...Welcome :wave: and thank you for your passionate message!

I agree with you. I had the opportunity recently to actually hear Smokey read the poem posted here and sadly, what I suspected is true. I was offended by most of it but particularly when he said:

"Cause I’m proud to be Black and I ain’t never lived in Africa,
And ‘cause my Great-Great Granddaddy on my Daddy’s side did, don’t mean I want to go back. Now I have nothing against Africa,
It’s where some of the most beautiful places and people in the world are found. But I’ve been blessed to go a lot of places in this world, and if you ask me where I choose to live, I pick America, hands down."


And this was just plain dumb:

"Why you keep trying to attach yourself to a continent, Where if you got the chance and you went, Most people there would not even claim you as one of them; as a pure bred daughter or son of them. Your heritage is right here now, no matter what you call yourself or what you say, And a lot of people died to make it that way. And if you think America is a leader on inequality and suffering and grievin’, How come there so many people comin’ and so few leavin’?"

The title of Smokey's song "Tears of A Clown" takes on a new meaning for me now! :rolleyes:
 
Different interpretation

I'm new to the forum and would like to say "hi" to everyone. With that being said, I feel compelled to post a "controversial" defense of Smokey Robinson's poem..LOL. My interpretation wasn' that Smokey is dissing Africans or African culture but is highlighting that fact that Blacks in the United States have a distinct heritage and should be proud of our accomplishments as Americans. Most Blacks in the Diapora can identify with a legacy of miscegention, color complexes and being treated as less than human beings. We all have faced oppression and the screwed up psychological traumas that go along with it. I found Mr. Robinson's poem wery insightful and empowering. We don't have to keep changing our names to figure out who we are. It's clear when looking at most of us that we of our African descent but our experiences are purely American. If we can look at the bad in being black in America we should be honest with ourselves and look at the good. We have, more than any other group influenced all the great cultural aspects of "America." America is a brand marketed all over the world and that brand, which includes it's art, music and legacy, greatly reflects African slaves and their descendants.

We've created art forms and fought for civil rights...Let's take credit for that. Even in slavery we were keen enough to sing encoded sprituals and come up with complex escape plans. We are descendants of a masterful group of people who not only survived but "created" and "changed" things. I'm proud of those people who were cut off from their homeland, their religion and their native tongue but who endured and wouldn't stop fighting for freedom. I'm proud of their children who suffered the indiginity of being "separate but equal" and jim crow laws, I'm proud of their children who were brutalized and humilated but stood steadfast for civil rights. I'm proud that we are finally getting to a place where we don't have to fight so hard and can reflect on our African heritage in a positive way. So, in essence I'm proud of what it means to be a Black American and you should be too.
 

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