I want to change the way the Black race views ourselves. In my opinion, it’s not about receiving acknowledgement or recognition from the majority. Our culture, traditions, and pride were taken/stolen from our people. In essence, I want to radicalize the way in which Black America views ourselves.

“Black men, and especially Black women, in such communities, experience the greatest imaginable inconvenience. They never feel at home. In the depth of their being they always feel themselves strangers in the land of their exile, and the only escape from this feeling is to escape from themselves.”

Excerpt by E.W. Blyden in Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race

I believe, in a way, we escape ourselves so that we can find ourselves, once again, in our past. I believe if we connect with our true Blackness, not of the Blackness told to us by an oppressive regime, but the Blackness told to us by our ancestors, we will effectively ‘escape’ and truly be able to basque in our truest selves.

My name is Amber Evans and I am a fan of history. But more importantly, I am a fan of Black self-determination. I believe my race can achieve this through knowledge of our ancestral history which thereby cultivates pride in ourselves and optimism for our future.