What comes to you mind when you hear philosophy? Would it be Greek, or maybe Socrates? Why is that? How has society conditioned us to disassociate philosophy with anything other than a white male? When you decide to go to college and chose philosophy as a major, you encounter courses that expose you to ideas from what society considers significant historical figures. Actually, I would like to use more precise diction; what the white men deems as significant historical figures. White males run society, from education to healthcare to immigration and everything in between. This is not stunning news, and this actually addresses the systematisms of society. Black philosophical work does not receive the credit nor exposure it deserves because of the people in charge of society will not let them be great. In an education system when learning about philosophy, you hear about Socrates, Plato, Kant, Boethius, all who are white males. You do not learn about the philosophical diction from precolonial Africa. In fact, most of African philosophy was spread orally and therefore the gap falls in how could this body of work be documented? Black philosophers are very much real and are very much common despite the lack of exposure due to systematic racism and deserve to be viewed as valid contributors to society.

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The system goes deeper than we often allow ourselves to believe. Let’s break it down together. The average child starts school around the age of 4 or 5, and from that point on they are subjected to propaganda and intellect told through the lens of the white male. But it actually started way before that if you ask me. The child has guardians that were subjected to the same system that the child now navigates. This system is so rooted because see, the guardian’s job is to equip the child with the knowledge to be able to navigate through life, successfully. But the knowledge the guardian retains came from the same system used to keep black voices silent. And now that same knowledge is passed down from generation to generation and its almost impossible to pinpoint the initial silencing. The education system is not new and plays as a crucial inhibitor to the exposure of black intellectuals. Generally, no none teaches about.

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The world has a history of silencing black voices. The average negro has had a plethora of encounters where they felt that they did not matter by the majority. This has a lasting effect and makes a person very apprehensive before choosing to assert their opinion in future circumstances. The history of white people using their power to shun blacks as anything more than the mold that they have instilled for us is strong. In The Silencing of Black Voices: In History and On Campus by Alecia Richards, the disproportionateness of free speech amongst minorities was addressed. Richards gets the opinion of those associated with the Black Lives Matter NU, and they agree that speech still comes at a price despite it being advertised as free. It is imperative to break the notion surrounding philosophy and the idea that black people typically do not align with the definition of intellectual. When in fact, the definition of intellectual has nothing to do with topical, and everything to do with a mindset. But this also ties into the systematism of society, black voices and emotions are silenced all the time in current and historical society. I went through it myself, not knowing the lasting impact this would have on my life as I find myself struggling to rekindle the voice I lost as a child enduring hate and exclusiveness in a predominantly white space.

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If I could give philosophy a general purpose, I would say consolation. Philosophy has been a cornerstone for me throughout my endeavors. I look at it as a way of life. I would like to produce philosophical writing myself and publish it for the benefit of society. But there are circumstances that have allowed me to believe I will not be successful in this endeavor because I will not get the exposure simply because of my skin, on top of gender. A black women philosopher, a mythical phenomenon it feels sometimes, does not correspond with society. I, a person who consciously chose philosophy as a major, never stopped to think about black philosophers and their contribution to society. This is a heartbreaking revelation. Although I never was exposed to black philosophers throughout my education until now, that is no excuse for my ignorance. I want to not only expose myself to the intellectual work of our black ancestors, but to the world as well. It is important to me to open the door and spread the word about this immaculate body of work because it deserves recognition and acknowledgement for its contribution.