Black soldiers in Vietnam "dappin"
"Give me 5 on the black hand side!"...
"Say blood, slide me some skin!"...
If you were a Black, American soldier during the Vietnam War, you may have uttered a variation of those greetings while on tour.
Black soldiers, besides attempting to dodge death and destruction at the hands of Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces, reacted to the racism of some White American soldiers by establishing their own subculture. According to James E. Westheider (in The African American Experience in Vietnam: Brothers in Arms), Black soldiers pursued racial solidarity and safety by referring to one another as "brother", "soul brother", and "blood". They greeted each other with Black power salutes (fists in the air), and the "dap".
"Dap", short for dignity and pride, is believed to have developed among Black prisoners of war during the conflict. The English slang word is itself a corruption of the Vietnamese word "dep", which refers to something beautiful.
Giving dap, sends a message of unity, respect, and pride between two individuals. For that reason, images of Black men greeting each other and exchanging dap are the chosen themes of this blog.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH TECHNOLOGY?
This post and those that will follow, are my attempt to address and offer solutions to the disparities Black people experince in the United States of America. For example, the latest employment statistics (via bls.gov) show that the Black unemployment rate is 7%. Not bad, but double that of White and Asian Americans (3.7%). Black teenagers (age 16-19) are unemployed at 22%. Again, double the White teen rate (11.4%).
Then, there is this notorious stat:
The latest Census figures estimate Black people are 13% of the U.S. population. So why do WE make up almost half of the prisoners in this country?
There are many reasons, and many solutions have been offered to address these disparities. I believe that becoming expert in the utilization, production, and creation of technology is one way to address OUR issues. I believe that I have something to offer in the form of information and inspiration with regards to how to build a career around technology. In subsequent posts, I will explain my competence and credentials, and offer advice to those "brothers" and "sisters" interested in working in this very lucrative line of business.
This blog is my expression of unity, respect, and pride in my Blackness.
This is my dap.
More Black soldiers in 'Nam.
Jay-Z and Nas dappin'
Dez Bryant and Adrian Peterson dappin'
President Obama and Kendrick Lamar dappin'
