We deserve to feel, think and do as we please, respectfully, without being apologetic or submissive to anyone. If we put less effort into forcing ourselves into a tiny box of belief, we may find energy to find our own love so that we can appreciate the peace it brings to ourselves and everyone around us!
Long live ALL of the Kings and Queens struggling to find their royalty in this world. May your self-worth guide you into your eternal happiness!
-Bristol Mayo
Op-Ed Exclusive to Our Time Press
By Bristol Mayo
Black America is having a very difficult time producing a unified sentiment to express for the Royal Wedding. Arguments are compelling from all sides, making it difficult to commit to one feeling or another. Are we excited that a Black woman has joined the ranks of the Royals? Do we ignore the murderous history of the slave trade that was largely led by the English? Is the Duchess of Sussex worthy of the title “Black Woman,” or has she forfeited the right to boast about half her heritage due to her affinity for white men? What has she done for Black people? What will she do for Black people? What CAN she do for Black people? Does she owe us anything at all? Facebook is abuzz with the heated debate that has no resolution in sight! What say ye, Black people?!
It may come as a shock to the congregation of Blackness that all of our opinions are equally valid, and do not need to be forced into an umbrella of Group Think. I, for one, sat with my wife and ogled over every moment of the ceremony. We prepared by studying the history of the monarchy and the traditions of the wedding ceremony, where the Duke and Duchess’s children will fall into the line of succession, their dating history and any philanthropic platforms they may share in their celebrity.
And now that the event has passed, what cannot be denied is the Black American culture that permeated the entire ceremony, the thousand-year English traditions that bent the knee to the Duchess Meghan’s demands and the stunning display of love from the bride and groom throughout the courtship!
You see, I come from a family and church life that adores pomp and circumstance. This was a pinnacle event for people who appreciate such things and value the history involved. This is my story and reasoning for wanting to bear witness. I am not right or wrong, have pledged no allegiance to Crown and Country, nor have I renounced allegiance to my Blackness. I enjoyed seeing a Black woman happy, assuming a seat amongst the royalty that once captured and enslaved her ancestors. Not out of some great need to make amends or prove that they don’t hate Blacks, but out of the pure love for one another, history and traditions be damned.
Do I have questions for those that are staunchly against the marriage or its importance? Yes. But I know that their opinions stem from a life of experience and education all their own. We may struggle back and forth for understanding, but we do not have to agree on finite details. The myth of a single Black opinion is not completely our fault, but in instances such as this, we put too much effort into trying to convert Black belief into a single breath. This does a disservice to the African Diaspora from which we all descend.
We deserve to feel, think and do as we please, respectfully, without being apologetic or submissive to anyone. If we put less effort into forcing ourselves into a tiny box of belief, we may find energy to find our own love so that we can appreciate the peace it brings to ourselves and everyone around us!
Long live ALL of the Kings and Queens struggling to find their royalty in this world. May your self-worth guide you into your eternal happiness!