Muhammad Ali was a Muslim black man. Prince was a black man. Beyoncé is a black woman.

None of these people have transcended race. There is no such thing as transcending race. That entire concept is- and I believe this is the scientific term- COMPLETE BULLSHIT.

Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Prince, Beyoncé, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Janet Jackson; every single black person is black. They are black. They have always been black. They will always be black. You cannot take that away from them. You cannot take that away from us. After all, you’re the ones that put it upon us.

After centuries of being taught to hate being black, we have black celebrities taking pride in their blackness. Once they make it to a certain point, however, white people decide that they no longer have to hold the burden of being black. Being told that you’re not really black is supposed to be a compliment, because blackness is something we re supposed to be deeply ashamed of. Something that we aspire to rise above. It anything but. It is the highest tier we can possibly reach. Other people aspire to be us, aspire to indulge in our culture and create culture alongside us. We aren’t just enough, we are more than enough. We are everything.

Every time that a black person does something great, we have that taken away from us. Suddenly Beyoncé is no longer black.
Every time that a great black person passes way, we have that taken away from us. Suddenly Prince is no longer black.

Moments after his passing, non-black people tried to appropriate the persona and message of Muhammad Ali. A proud black follower of Islam; an American legend. Do not accept half of who he was, and throw away the other. Every part of him is reality, not just the aspects that you can relate to.

He was Muslim. I am not.
He was a boxer. I am not
He was a black man. That, I am.

But I will acknowledge and respect the things he was that I am not.

It is unfair, unrealistic, and disrespectful to pick and choose aspects of someone, especially someone who just died, to acknowledge. Especially when they have overcome so much adversity to have pride in who they are.

Rest in power Muhammad Ali, and all those who we’ve lost in recent years. We will continue your legacy and uphold your values.