Stop Waiting for Validation: Reclaiming Black History on Our Own Terms

Let me be clear from the beginning: This isn’t an anti-white message. This isn’t a militant stance. And it certainly isn’t an attempt to divide.

This is a call for introspection and responsibility — directed toward those in the Black community who rely too heavily on white guilt or white supremacy narratives while overlooking the cultural contradictions we must confront internally. We can’t blame others for every wound while ignoring how we sometimes contribute to our own dysfunction.

Validation Isn’t Liberation

Why do we still seek validation from institutions we didn’t create — and that were never meant for us?

We cheer for Oscars, Grammys, Tonys, and Hall of Fame inductions as if they confirm our value. Meanwhile, we downplay or outright ignore platforms we built ourselves — the BET Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, the Source Awards, and others meant to celebrate Black excellence on our own terms.

Recognition isn’t the problem. Dependency is.

Yes, those awards can open doors. But if we treat them as the only doors that matter, we forfeit our agency. We act like outsiders begging to be let in, instead of building homes of our own.

A Problem in the Paint

I recently saw a painting online — a powerful half-finished portrait of a Black hero, partially painted over with white strokes. The artist's message was clear: whitewashing of Black history is real, and the fight over critical race theory is part of that erasure.

But here's the concern:That image unintentionally communicates a belief that only white institutions can preserve our history. That unless “they” validate us, we disappear. That unless “they” remember us, we are forgotten.

That idea is both dangerous and false.

For generations, Africans and Black communities across the globe passed down stories, values, and histories through song, story, scripture, and struggle. We didn’t need permission. We didn’t ask for validation.

We taught ourselves who we were.

Cultural Contradictions: What Are We Really Celebrating?

While some in our community cry out about systemic racism — a real and complex issue — we must also address a more uncomfortable truth:

• We protect our criminals but alienate our thinkers.

• We elevate the Black thug while mocking the Black nerd.

• We celebrate flash over foundation, exposure over education, and fame over function.

  
  

There’s nothing revolutionary about ignoring your scholars while idolizing your shooters. If we’re going to preserve our history and shape our future, we need to reorient what we value — and who we listen to.

Build, Don’t Beg

It’s time to stop pointing fingers at “them” and start building for us, by us. We live in an age where we no longer need permission to speak, share, document, or publish. The question is: are we using that power?

Instead of saying “They’re erasing us,”

We should ask “Why aren’t we teaching our own history daily?”

Instead of waiting for Silicon Valley to fix the algorithm, We should be preparing Black youth to build the next platform.

We’ve built our legacy from far worse conditions. What we lack now isn’t opportunity — it’s focus and coordination.

What We Can Do Right Now

• Create oral history projects in our churches, barbershops, and schools.

• Start community-run digital archives and storytelling workshops.

• Fund STEM pipelines for Black youth to enter AI, data, and tech development.

• Celebrate our scholars and critical thinkers like we do our entertainers and athletes.

• Stop using whiteness as the barometer of progress or oppression.

Let’s Fix Us, First

Yes, racism is real. Yes, systems need reform. But our internal healing and cultural alignment can’t wait on those reforms.

We have to fix the way we treat each other. We have to stop punishing critical thought and rewarding reckless behavior. We have to stop talking about “them” and start holding us accountable.

This isn’t about blame. It’s about building. This isn’t about hate. It’s about hope.

We don’t need permission to preserve our greatness. We need the discipline and courage to stop reacting — and start leading.

History doesn’t disappear when others ignore it. It disappears when we stop teaching it.It disappears when we trade substance for spectacle. It disappears when we wait for someone else to write it for us.

So let’s write it ourselves — for our children, our legacy, and our future.

We don’t need to be accepted to be excellent.We just need to be unapologetically in control of our own story.

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