My black people do we dream anymore?
It seems as if we are so caught up in becoming the next big rapper, video girl, model or American idol.
By no means am I preaching these things to be wrong. These careers paths have opened doors for many individuals such as Melissa Ford, Eva Marcille and Fantasia Barrino, who may have otherwise been looked over.
My problem comes when young black Americans, especially my FAMU family, close themselves to other possibilities.
Why can’t we be more than just entertainment figures?
Let us put our dreams to good use. We all have what it takes to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, government officials, and so much more. Stop suppressing your abilities.
I believe part of it is the media’s fault because you hardly ever see documentaries or shows that are constantly aired about black Americans becoming renowned journalists, doctors, judges, or professors.
Honestly, you have to admit, that the images we tend to see we mimic to an extent. Oprah had a dream, Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, Condoleezza Rice had a dream and Dr. Ian Smith most definitely had dreamed.
All of these people had dreams just like you and me. Yet, one day they decided to put actions behind their dreams. Now they have affected history in a significant way.
Tom Joyner once said, “Dreaming is so great because you don’t necessarily know how you’re going to make your dreams come true, but when they do come, you ought to be ready.” He also exclaimed, “Dreaming is great, but dreaming by itself is not enough.”
For those of you who are not familiar with Joyner’s career path, he was a member of a group named the DuPonts but he chose his education over the group. After putting his dream to good use, he became the first black man to have a nationally syndicated morning radio program, “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” This goes to show you that putting action behind that dream of yours is essential for your success. Prepare yourselves for the best and worst of outcomes.
By no means is it going to be easy, you have to stay focused. If making this decision means that you cannot hang with your friends then, so be it.
You have to understand the benefits of dreaming, gaining the most of your education and putting all that to use through hard work.
Trust me, in due time all that hard work and pain will cease, All the success and joy of your accomplishments will increase.
So, do better my black people, put some “oomph” behind that dream of yours. Ignore those critics and aspire to go to the top.
Priscilla Blow is a junior broadcast student from Jacksonville. She can be reached at famuanopinions@hotmail.com.