The Power Within Us

A seed requires nourishment for it to grow. Some of which include nutrients, soil as it’s anchor, water, air and light. Conditions such as the weather, season and its environment are necessary. However, you can provide all these nourishments but the seed will still not grow. As a matter of fact, I have experienced this first hand.

I am pleased to be able to enlighten you today and I want to be intentional about utilizing the power within me. As many of you here know, I am passionate about gardening- my Whatsapp status as evidence. My garden is continuously growing and to be honest it has been a long journey. I myself have grown along the way, faced many setbacks and challenges and most importantly seen the fruit. You see gardening is not just a hobby, it’s a process and a cycle. It requires patience, focus, perseverance and dedication. But that is not what we are here to talk about precisely is it?

So back to the seed which we’ll name Acacia. What do you think is the reason as to why the seed will not grow? Anybody? I mean I’ve been trying to grow strawberries for a long period of time but I’ve not seen a single seedling. For someone who people tend to praise for having a green hand. It’s a closeted secret- well was.

Well, there is an inborn power that a seed should contain. You can call it fertility. This will amongst many other factors determine its ability to grow.

We as humans are similar to Acacia. We require nourishment to grow as an individual. As we grow older, we require different forms and sources of nourishment. We grow into different kinds of plants, some tall, short, weak or strong. As you can see here, all the plants have different kinds of leaves and fruits. Just like no plant leaves are the same we all are of different races, shapes, colours, and sizes. And by nourishment I don’t just mean food. I mean what each and every one of us decide to take in and feed the power within us in our everyday life. We live in a society where we have sight in our eyes but cannot see the inequalities around us, hearing but cannot hear the pain and anguish of those who are suffering and a heart that cannot feel. What really matters is what we do with that power within us. We possess this power even before we are born- the little power inside you. Thereafter, society has either given this power to us or taken it away from us. This power within us is our voice and mindset.

We all have preconceived notions about others and are born into environments with preconceived notions of others too. We can choose to embrace or reject the nourishment to supplement the power within us.That will truly determine our growth. Firstly, we need to really recognise and accept the strength of the power within us. We need to realise that with the power of just a few words we can determine someone else’s future. We can then really change ourselves and become our powers master. We can’t become blindsided by this power and become its slave, it being a barrier between us and the world.

Utilizing that power wouldn’t come from being in denial about problems that exist in society today such as systematic racism. Accepting that racism exists is the first sign that the nourishment is penetrating us. Posting #Blacklivesmatter or using a picture of a black hand isn’t just going to get rid of racism. Especially if we still make comments like the black doctor or the black criminal. What do we think we are insinuating? The fact that the person being black comes first? We are already categorizing ourselves and handing the power over to our blindsightedness. By making comments like “not only black people are poor” we are downplaying the fact that they are a minority group that is disadvantaged. The word but is a negative and powerful world. This is a human rights struggle and not a wealth struggle. Inadvertently we are aiding and contributing to a system that is racist.

We need to acknowledge that inequality is not just based upon wealth and status but the fact that people are treated differently based on their race and WE have the power to change that.

That is a lot to consume and maybe you are a little bit confused. But my fellow classmates, is there truly nothing wrong in the world when there are only 4 Black CEOs in fortune 500 companies. 7 out of 10 black people claimed to have experienced racism in their workplace. A nurse was not allowed to attend to a patient as the patient was not comfortable with the nurse attending to her due to the nurse being black. Her medical advice could be incorrect. A black woman had to resign from her workplace due to endless comments associating her intellectuality with her hair. In 1985 5 African American boys were wrongfully arrested for murder even before tried and proven guilty due to their race. Chinese people are assaulted and discriminated against for their features. An experiment was conducted where children of all races had to choose from different kinds of dolls.They all chose white skinny dolls even those children with skin as dark as the earth and yet you argue that there is nothing wrong with our society. You see the battle is still ongoing and we possess the power within us to get closer to the frontline.

It was only until the late 1970’s that hair products formulated for afro textured hair was produced. Until 2010 most people thought that people with dark skin tones did not require sunscreen as they were quote on quote “dark enough” already. A huge contributing factor to this power struggle is definitely ignorance — as they say knowledge is power. We go through many moments in our life that we don’t know as much as we thought we did. Especially when it comes to matters of race and culture. And you know what, that’s completely okay. Whether we choose to remain that way, that’s completely up to us.

4 years ago, I would never have felt comfortable showing my hair and not for modesty purposes as you think. It was more so because I felt embarrassed or ashamed of it. It was kinky, coily and not pin silky straight. And for any young girl to think that, there truly is a problem with our society. Now my goal is to educate myself and others. Just the way you wash your hair often as it gets oily and attracts dirt easily, I do the opposite not because my hair is damaged but because My texture is not meant to produce a lot of oil and I can’t wash it often or it’ll break. Yes clicks ad I’m referring to you. Propagating such ideologies such as these are extremely problematic. It’s not a one size fits all approach as we all have different needs. Acknowledging this is important. The collective change starts from the seemingly little things around us.

And now that I have watered your roots, I hope that you will absorb my nourishment and truly will grow. It’s time for you to take action. For as Roger Mcdonald said:” Your great power lies not on your surface but deep within your being.”