In my youth I developed a strong distaste for black history (month) as a whole because of how it was presented to my peers and I. Our greatest accomplishments were either overshadowed or overseen by others. Even though the message started off strong and led with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. having a dream (I would suggest listening to the whole speech to get the full perspective of his message), it slowly went downhill by comparing our efforts to already completed feats; The First African American as opposed to being ‘the first’ and/or ‘the only’ person period.
It seemed like our efforts could only reach so high, that there were boundaries set that we could not stray from. But when the question arose as to why we were proud to be “the first black” instead of “the first” in many efforts, the discussion would always lead back to cotton pickin' slavery, literally.
For me, I couldn't accept in my soul that this was the only thing that black people ever were or that this was the full representation of our story. So, I began to study, learn and read and listen and listen more and read more and learn more. What I found changed everything that I had ever known and felt about our past and our history, just in this country alone. That is the mindset I held in writing this book and just as I refuted that narrative in my youth, I held the same perspective to not leave another youthful mind (especially a child) in such a vulnerable position. Equipping young minds with foundation and grounding is what is needed to combat this propaganda campaign that has now spanned multiple generations. A wise Minister and Naturopathic Physician once said that “if you can’t find the exact information in a book then it becomes your charge to take action and write it yourself.” - Dr. Enqi. For this generation I have done just that and incorporated much of this information that I have gained over the years in THE GREENE BOOK OF BLACK KNOWLEDGE. This will be the starting point for many to broaden their perspective on history and to look over the horizon to a greater understanding of Self.
