Ignorance is not Bliss

So last night I put Bantu knots in my hair bc i like the natural curly look and i wore a head wrap over my head "nefertiti style" so that i could keep them in all day. to hold the curl. aside from getting several obvious stares, something really disturbing happened. As I entered my building see my roomates boyfriend, who is white, sitting there and i hug him bc he's a really cool kid. he then proceeds to call me Mother Theresa. I askd why did you call me that? he said bc she wrapped her head. I said not like this, eh then says "who did" i say sarcastically" oh i dont kno nefertiti, erykah badu" and he stops me and said No, aunt jemima did. yes. he said that. I then, speechless, stare at him and say are you serious and he smiles. I say "I'm gonna pretend you didnt say that" I head up to my room, truly astounded that people still asscociate such disguting sterrotypes with black women and go into my room. I then relay the story to my roomate and her friend (who are both black) and they look at me like And? then proceed to call my scarf a slave scarf.

If its not clear I am more than... disgusted with people's comments about traditional african garb. Last time I check nefertiti was NOT a slave but an African queen and Aunt Jemima is no longer displayed with the scarf because of the negative connotations associated with it.

And since the only way to combat ignorance is with knowledge here is somethign for those who dont see what most people know:

The phrase "Aunt Jemima" is sometimes used as a female version of "Uncle Tom" to refer to a black woman who is perceived as obsequiously servile or acting in, or protective of, the interests of whites. The direct inspiration for Aunt Jemima originates from a minstrelsy/vaudeville song of the same name. Chris L. Rutt of the Pearl Milling Company saw the song being sung by blackface performers Baker & Farrell wearing an apron and kerchief, and appropriated the character.

She is depicted as a plump, smiling, bright-eyed, African-American woman, originally wearing a kerchief over her hair. She was represented as a slave and was the most commonplace representation of the stereotypical "mammy" character.

now if you dont kno wat black is or wat a minstrel show was then you need more help than i can give you...


to call a black woman an aunt jemima is offensive, disgusting, and ignorant due to the history about her. She was an illiterate slave who cooked for her master. and the scarf i have on is representative of the crown many african queens wore. So to call that a 'slave scarf' or to associated it with the lowest point of black women (aside from bn a video hoe) is degrading and plain ignorant.
Aunt Jemima wore a scarf because she was taugh tthat her hair was 'dreadful' (hence the term DREADlocks). and to look presentable she had to cover it.
I pray to god that this type of ignorance is unheard of when my children grow up and dont have to deal with racial slurs if they want to be proud and dispay their heritage. and although my mother and i have had our dissagreements, I'm glad she raised me with the knowledge of my past and my history so that i may rise above it and learn to NEVER accept just anything from anyone.

I WILL CONTINUE TO WEAR MY HEAD WRAP. IF YOU CONTINUE TO BE IGNORANT TO YOUR OWN HISTORY AND YOUR OWN PAST THEN DO SO. BUT I WILL NOT BE RIDICULED BECAUSE OF MY HERITAGE!!