It’s the beginning of the year, which means that we all have a new opportunity to transform into a better version of ourselves. I think this is the perfect time to revisit the purpose and meaning behind “Exceptionally Black”.
Exceptionally Black is NOT about Black Excellence
Although the Exceptionally Black website wasn’t launched until 2021, the name Exceptionally Black came to me back in 2014, before the “black excellence” movement became mainstream. My goal in creating this website was – and still is – to provide information and resources that help us to improve ourselves as people. If we look objectively at our communities, we can acknowledge that there are many issues within our culture. Broken homes, absent fathers, and crime are rampant in our communities.
While many will blame systemic and social issues for the deterioration of the black family, I believe that the problem in this day and age lies closer to home. You see, we live in a world where we are finally free as black people. We can vote, we can go to school, and we can attend college (often for free depending on our income). We can own a home. We can buy whatever our lifestyle affords us. And for the most part, we have access to the same jobs as people of other races, assuming we have the qualifications necessary to get them.
While we are no longer bound by chains, sometimes, we find ourselves shackled by our choices. I am not exempt from this. I have made choices in my life that I wish I could go back and change, but I cannot. I can only move forward and strive to be better tomorrow than I was yesterday. And THAT is the entire purpose of Exceptionally Black.
I have written previously that Exceptionally Black is a journey. It is about making positive changes each day, each week, and each year to become a better version of ourselves so that we can pass down better values to the generations that follow us.
Being Exceptionally Black is not about academic or financial achievements, it is about increasing our knowledge and building our character so that we can make choices that benefit our communities instead of choices that tear them down.
