What Has Happened To The Black Village?

By Yvonne Sam
Contributing Columnist

Way back then, during my growing up years, there were many things that Black folks did not have. Nevertheless, there was one thing that we did have, which replaced and made up for those things we lacked.

The Black village of yesteryear was not restricted to just family members; essentially any face you saw that looked like yours, was most likely a part of the village. Basically everybody looked out for everybody.

Although we did not have cell phones, like many people today, we were more connected to the latest updates and happenings in each other lives, than we are now.

During those days, Black folks were not selfish. Instead it was our wish to see one another progress, because everybody was considered the same in the community. We did not have a choice, but to help one another and also support one another, because if we did not, nobody else would.

With the introduction of integration into Western culture, along with the improvement of modern technology, has come the destruction of the Black village. Currently, the village has been replaced by smartphones, tablets and video games. Now we have an entire generation, who are raising themselves and those who should be the most concerned about this epidemic, are too busy politicking and squabbling over positions and titles, to give a damn.

Many of our young ones possess no idea of who they are and where they come from. No longer does the village consist of old, wise folk and resourceful members and leaders of the community.

Everybody is too busy, worried about and catering to selfishness. As a consequence, in order to fully understand what has happened to our village, we must first understand what has happened to us.

Aleuta — the struggle continues.

Yvonne Sam, a retired Head Nurse and Secondary School Teacher, is Vice-president of the Guyana Cultural Association of Montreal. A regular columnist for over two decades with the Montreal Community Contact, her insightful and incursive articles on topics ranging from politics, human rights and immigration, to education and parenting have also appeared in the Huffington Post, Montreal Gazette, XPressbogg and Guyanese OnLine. She is also the recipient of the Governor General of Canada Caring Canadian Citizen Award.