On a Breakfast Club interview, Insecure actress and comedian, Amanda Seales wisely said, “I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I was in a space where I could breathe again.”

I didn’t know what she truly meant until I got the chance to attend Seales’ game show Smart, Funny, & Black where I got to experience uninhibited African American culture, not weighed down by pain or oppression.
For some time, I found myself questioning if black people in America have a distinct, exclusive culture similar to those of other ethnicities such as West Indians or Nigerians.

I always longed for a country to feel connected to for music, food and songs that only African Americans are familiar with and a history to celebrate that exists beyond oppression and pain.

Growing up in America, the beauty and magic of being an individual of African descent was not emphasized in school. The only thing that was highlighted was the horrors of slavery and the people who fought to end these dehumanizing practices.

However, when I got to attend Seales’ show in the National, eyes wide, fro popping, and eager to be black, I was confronted with a wave of celebratory blackness.

From the electric slide, a moment of ebony excellence, pick up lines and history lessons, the pride and honor of being an African American was felt the entire night. Not only did I feel visible, but I finally felt that sense of culture that I had always wished to obtain.

I did not realize how refreshing it was to speak about blackness and culture without having to always mention the pain that we have endured. One of the most beautiful aspects of the night was singing the songs and laughing at the jokes that everyone in the audience knew.

In that moment, I felt like we all grew up the same and shared the same positive experiences. I felt a sense of community and acceptance. Moreover, this helped me realize that we have a vast culture and that I had unintentionally been hiding the aspects that make me who I am.

After experiencing the game show, I realized that I was fearlessly being my true self with no concern of who may criticize me. It became apparent to me that there is a lack of spaces where African Americans can truly be themselves without being criticized or feeling repressed.

“Black people always have to be conscious of how we look, talk, and act because originally we weren’t seen as people; we were property and that trauma is still affecting us today,” stated Bria Hicks, a senior psychology major.