James Brown Taught Me to Be Black and Proud

This account has been condensed and edited for clarity.

James Brown’s “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” had an impact on me because, when I was 10 years old living in the South (New Orleans), segregation was being dismantled in the public schools. My parents insisted that I take a stand and be strong because I, too, must experience the real world full of hate and bigotry.

Just three years after Ruby went through her ordeal, I too had to stand proud. I was harassed, called names, and treated unkindly. The white kids did not want to sit in the seat I had sat in or stand next to me, as though I was a disease. I realized that it was only because of the color of my skin that they treated me this way. (I was Black.)

I was never ashamed of being Black, and when I heard this song, it gave me so much pride. I would respond, when treated or told something ugly about who I was, that I was Black and proud!!!! It gave me the strength and great pride to wear my afro throughout middle school and even today.