Mainstream perspective is to disrespect elders & ancestors- Natalio Wheatley
“The mainstream perspective at the moment is really to disrespect your elders and your ancestors. Even just putting on traditional African clothing, I put on my shirt, African prints and what not and I went to the college and a young brother laughed. First he said oh you is an island man now, which was an interesting comment in itself and then he went from island man and said oh you is an African now and I remember when I was young that was supposed to be very insulting...not knowing that if you look at history with the correct lenses that is something to be honoured by,” Mr. Wheatley said.
“The main stream view right now is, I mean you wear a shirt from any other particular group or anybody else wearing a particular shirt from a particular nationality or culture and it is not ridiculed in the way you will be ridiculed. I mean I didn’t say anything to anybody, I just walked around in the clothing and all of a sudden I am a target for ridicule, just for wearing the clothing. I mean I didn’t say take off your shirt that you are wearing, you should be wearing a shirt like mine, I didn’t say anything like that,” Mr. Wheatley added.
The talk show co-host and public activist, who unsuccessfully contested for an At Large seat with the People’s Patriotic Alliance (PPA) at the November 2011 elections in the Virgin Islands, noted that it was ironic that, “people don’t know a thing about Thanksgiving historically and we honour it, Halloween comes and we honour it, we honouring the Easter bunny all types of stuff.”
According to Wheatley, there is need for us to honour our elders and our ancestors since there is nothing wrong with that.
Meanwhile, this year's theme for Black History Month is "Black Women in American Culture and History".
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