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>> 43 2 Situating the Self Becoming Afrikan in America Afrocentric Consciousness I met with Carmen at one of the grocery stores in Lithonia. In her thirties , with creamy deep brown skin and short cropped reddish brown hair, Carmen worked as a quality-control manager for a chain of markets . Amid the din of clanging shopping carts, chattering children, and announcements concerning frozen peas, we talked about what Afrocentrism meant to her. “All right,” I asked, “do you consider yourself to be Afrocentric?” “Well, up until about four weeks ago, no,” responded Carmen. “Why is that?” I inquired. “Because I really didn’t identify with anything, to be honest with you. I mean, I was black and I knew that I couldn’t get away from it. I didn’t like being black sometimes, I will be honest about that. And I didn’t really have a consciousness, which I still don’t have a full consciousness of.” “What do you mean—a full consciousness of it?” “I didn’t know what it really meant to be black outside of what I’ve been doing for thirty-one years. I remember saying all the time that I envied people who were of the Jewish faith. I envied people who were 44 > 45 was participation in the Civil Rights movement and the Black Is Beautiful era as a teenager or young adult that fomented an individual’s interest in an African-centered identity. Those who were inculcated with an African sensibility either by a significant person in their lives or through participation in the black empowerment movement constituted most of my study population. No matter the path to Afrocentrism, most people emphasized that an African-centered consciousness was intrinsic to an Afrocentric identity. It was repeatedly explained to me that Afrocentrism was first, and foremost , a state of mind, a particular type of awareness. For example, one person defined Afrocentrism in the following way: “So for me Afrocentric or Afrocentrism is once you’ve understood who you are and can accept that, you start seeing the world through that realm, through that lens. So it’s how you see the world and how you expect the world to some extent to treat you.” In this definition, as in the next, there is the contention that an Afrocentric consciousness is an awareness of an authentic and true identity that was present all along even if unrecognized . As David explained, “How would I define it? Let’s see. I would define it as a true sense of knowing who you are, knowing where you come from, and being proud of it.” Another member explained that, once an individual better understood herself, it was incumbent upon her to behave differently. Catherine defined Afrocentrism as “a deep level of understanding of yourself and accepting your culture and embracing it and letting the world know that this is me, this is who I am, and infusing it into every part of your life and just everything. It is, I know, it’s real deep.” This sentiment was echoed by Jerome Kent. Jerome was raised by a mother that he described without hesitation as Afrocentric but who did not apply the term to herself. His wife Nina explained that her Afrocentric consciousness was nurtured by both Jerome and his mother. It is this shared consciousness that Jerome feels holds them together as a couple: I think one of the biggest bonds we have as a couple is the fact that we’re very open and giving. And you know, I think that that has a lot to do with Afrocentrism as far as, how do I put it? Let’s just say that, I believe that since everything comes from Africa, that we all do have some kind 46 > 47 it was to their understanding of self until it was explained by Reverend Lomax. This chapter describes how an Afrocentric consciousness manifests in behavior as exemplified through dress codes and hair styling as well as naming and racial/ethnic labeling practices. In addition, the relationship that people have with the African continent is examined. Of interest are the varied ways through which individuals make meaning in their lives through their performance of Afrocentrism. Sartorial, Coiffured, and Linguistic Acts Evelyn is forty-nine years old, slender with warm brown skin and hiplength locks. I met with her on a Friday afternoon at her house in Stone Mountain to discuss how she felt about being black: It took a long...

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