I realized something, united states culture sometimes influences people very shallowly. I realized that in other countries other than the united states, people are known or called by their nationality. In Canada here, we are all Canadians no matter where you were previously from before. People also take effort to learn about peoples backgrounds. Here in Canada, we know the importance of people having a sense of community, and we strive for that.

Recently, I saw a video of Rihanna at her annual diamond ball giving an interview to Essence magazine. For those of us who don't know, Essence magazine is a magazine that celebrates "black" culture. Rihanna said she was a "black" woman, and made a comment to how she was making strides as a "black" woman. Now, I understand what she was trying to do, but Rihanna- like a lot of these figure heads that people look up to-is an entertainer, not a scholar. Entertainers want to appease the masses, and in doing so, will say whatever to be considered "one of the people". I am not shaming her or saying what she said was wrong, please let us read with the intent to understand. Rihanna, like some other celebrities, has fed into this mentality that all people of Afro descent are "black", but that is not the case. Also, Rihanna was feeding into that same mentality that if a person is "black" in usa, that they cannot amount to much or anything, so she as a "black" woman is making waves amounting to something, and people cheered her on. Therein lies the problem. Because people have been so used to putting down "black" people in usa, they start to idolize "black" celebrities who "made it", thereby continuing the cycle of people not wanting to bother to know where they came from. Rihanna is an Islander from Barbados. If we want to get technical, Rihanna is an African American woman because Barbados is located in the Caribbean Islands which is a REGION OF THE AMERICAS; same as Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, etc. But will people choose to do their homework on this? No.

The term "black" people has been used so derogatorily, it shocks me that people want to be called by it. "black" people was a name used by slave owners so people could permanently forget where they are from. "black" is not a race, but a colour, but ignorance has made people accept it. When people want to phase out a thing THEY BLACK-LIST IT, and yet this is a name that people are so happy to be called? Sometimes I get so exhausted trying to educate people on what is right because it seems like the ignorant are too many to count. Fear has made people stop speaking out and just accept that they are "black" and not want to spark up a debate. I am telling you that future generations are counting on you to save them and start this debate.

I recently went on instagram and saw this african american/asian mixed boy who simply identified himself as "black" on his page. The shame of it all. Knowing that this boy has two cultures in him and chooses to just identify himself as "black" broke my heart. I checked his pictures, and they were photos of him mainly in a state of melancholy; they were mostly sad pictures...this cannot be the future we envision for the next generation.

"black" people in the united states have suffered mental and emotional torture where they may not even recognize themselves a humans anymore, but as colours and bar-codes; and if you dare try to educate them on their heritage, you are branded the enemy. It is very sad, and very unacceptable.

I would like everyone to share this update with their friends. I encourage you that if you call yourself "black", try calling yourself African American and African, and see the change in your mental health. Studies show that a sense of belonging in a community promotes greater mental health. Again, we should all take a cue from the Asians. Look how they always come together for each other. Look at the Asian-Americans and the Asian-Canadians, all of them look after each other.

I strongly believe that we as people shouldn't let the wrong united states culture influence us. I believe that as people, we should be able to think for ourselves. I believe that we shouldn't take lessons from a country with a history of racism towards ALL minorities. I believe that once a person frees their mind, the rest will follow. I believe that we as people can make this change, and should not be bullied by ignorance.

Again, the 2020 US elections are coming up. Call up congress and your representatives and tell them that you do not want to be called "black" again. You want to be called African and African American. Enough id enough. Enough of the derogatory comments. Enough of the mental illness. Enough of the self uncertainty. I believe in you, I believe in us.

Sign, Share, and expose this petition today. Share it to your various governments. We must not give up. We must see that a change does come forth.

One more thing, I must confess that when this petition reaches a substantive number of supporters, I don't really know what the next step will be. My next step is to have someone who lives in the united sates submit this petition for me to congress and have them know that enough is enough. If anybody has connections to any media or news rooms, please help me by submitting my petition to them for consideration. No more oppression, we demand a change today.

Much love, Cree <3