Day 41

We must heal our watermelon shame.

Back in the days when it was okay to make blatant, cruel fun of Black folks, we used to see images of ourselves grinning from ear to ear, eating fat, juicy slices of watermelon. This image was so cruelly used that today, when many of us see a watermelon, we go running in the opposite direction. Especially those among us who have achieved a level of economic status: "Watermelon? I eat kiwi and cantaloupe." How many of us have choked on watermelon? There's some deep collective pain there. This fruit is a symbol of this country's disrespect and mistreatment of us. It's too bad that the image-makers didn't pair us up with greasy fried chicken or coffee cake. Now that would have been a real public service. Those foods have done real damage to our hearts and thighs. And we would have been left in peace to eat our vitamin C-packed, nonfat, colon-cleansing watermelons.

I don't give a damn, I'll make my own rules!