I
have decided to share some of my favorites from "Black Folks' Little Instruction Book". :-)9. Start the way you can hold out.
18. Don't let anyone tell you who your leaders are.
19. Never put more than ten barrettes in your daughter's hair at one time.
22. Do not give a child a name that has more than 18 letters in it.
25. No one has appointed you chief of the Black Police. You have no right to judge who is black enough and who isn't.
31. Remember, there is no such thing as "good" hair. If it is yours, it's good.
33. Do not add ed to words that already end in ed.
43. See Roots.
51. Don't be ashamed to admit that you like chitlins.
61. No matter how little Vaseline you put on your legs, they still look like patent leather.
62. Love your lips.
64. CP Time is not an acceptable excuse for lateness. Be prompt.
72. Don't let your fear of racism keep you from following your dreams.
73. When times get tough, rejoice in the knowledge that you are one in a long line of proud, courageous people who have a history of surviving.
75. Specific and Pacific are not the same thing.
77. Never conversate.
87. Your kids will have a number of friends throughout their lives but only one mother and father. Have the courage to be a parent.
90. There may be times in your life when you need more help than your friends and family can provide. Love yourself and see a therapist.
93. Learn how and when to back down in an argument.
96. Take the time to spend time alone.
97. Measure your success only by what you want out of life, not by what other people tell you you should have.
98. Always tell the truth. Few things are more discouraging than realizing you have just lied on your lie.100. Don't wait for opportunities, make them.
There are 350 "lessons" in this book, but I stopped at 100. Of course, they aren't all only applicable to black people, but some of these things are cultural and black people need to be reminded of them once in a while. :-)
I absolutely love numbers 9, 87, 90, 93, 96, 97, 98 and 100. They are fantastic no matter your age, race, religion or location... Thanks so much for the post!
ReplyDeleteI don't get the first one but maybe I'm reading it wrong. Help me out here...
ReplyDeleteAria - You're welcome. :-)
ReplyDeleteJen - Let me think how to explain it...
You start anything new with all kinds of enthusiasm and plans and the longer it goes on, the less interested you become.
Or, if you tell your child "If you do this, I will do this" and then you don't?
Basically, don't write a check your butt can't cash, LOL.
Awesome post. Great nuggets to follow regardless of your race or background.
ReplyDeleteThese are great. I liked them all. Understood 3. (Kidding. :)
ReplyDelete---------
Angelika, I also wanted to thank you for your thoughtful comment on that tolerance post of mine a few days ago. You may think that since it has been so long since you commented that I have forgotten it. Not true. I have been thinking about the things you said. This is not the place to really go into it, but I want you to know how impressed I was with your thoughts. Thanks again.
LMAO @ #'s 19 & 22! I so agree! (actually I'd make that 12 letters, myself ;) )
ReplyDeleteAmen to #25.
These are all great. I will have to check out the entire list! :)
Priceless, and good for any color in the spectrum. I had to laugh about name length. Believe it or not, my husband wanted to saddle my son with the name Bartholomew. I could just envision this four year old with a crayon and two pieces of paper onto which he is trying to get his name... uh, no.
ReplyDeleteLOL... I enjoyed these. I especially got a good chuckle out of #19. What about beads? LOL
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a greatday.
Elle - One of the reasons I gave Evan his name is because I didn't want any nicknames. I got that from my mother, LOL.
ReplyDeletePetula - I used to wear beads on my cornrows to match my outfit! At least 10 per braid, LOL.
lol I was gonna say...MOST of those are not race specific. But I loved the barrette one. I love seeing little girls with the masses of barrettes. I always wanted my mom to do that and she never would. :)
ReplyDeleteVery funny! (It IS okay to laugh, right?!) JK. I loved Roots and would like to watch the whole series again.
ReplyDeleteI'm black and I don't like chitlins but other than that the list seems okay.
ReplyDeleteOh, and "see roots" is not cool either. It is about violence and oppression and is not fun to watch. The Color Purple is better.
ReplyDeleteNigel - Roots is a fictional account of our history. It is not JUST about violence. What about how Mister treated Celie the entire time she lived with him? Was that not about violence and oppression?
ReplyDelete