Amari wants black people to see themselves as royalty

"Blacks are God's chosen people. We are kings and queens and emperors and empresses," is the message that social media influencer Amari says she wants to share for Black History Month.

As she honours the struggles and triumphs of the black race, the entertainer said she will embark on a six-month media tour of different countries in Africa this month. She said that she will be making stops and doing charitable work in countries like Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana and Tanzania.

"Black people have embarked on a powerful journey and we need more than one month to celebrate. I have been to Africa before and that journey made me look at life differently. We are a special group of people and, reading the Bible, I have always imagined the Jews and Jesus being of a certain colour, and by me going to Africa, I realises that the Bible might be talking about our own skin colour. I want to stop at the charities and do what I can do, but I can tell you that Africans are humble people and they really don't like handout. But I like visiting the orphanages," she said.

Amari recalled her debut visit to the continent a few years back and stated that she went to several historical sites which reminded her of how strong the people of her race are.

"I visited a lot of places where slaves were traded and it really crippled my soul. I was allowed to see where my ancestors were placed in the ships and shipped to other countries. There were small underground areas that had to hold sometimes 500 slaves. They had to eat, drink and pass 'number one and two' in that area, and just learning that made me cry. But it also let me know that we black people are a black and powerful race," Amari said.

According to Amari, although she is of a lighter complexion, she faces a type of second-hand discrimination.

"My father is a black man from Trelawny and there were some family members who would curse me about it all the time and just tell me how my father is black. They would speak all those things in front of me and said he was black as a monkey. So I grew up feeling as if my skin colour wasn't good enough to get me through life, because of who my father was," she said.

Now in her 50s, Amari said she has fully embraced her ethnicity and is encouraging others to do the same. She stated that, instead of reflecting on the horrors of slavery, one should celebrate the strengths of the black race.

"We are brilliant minds and I want people to reflect on this especially during Black History Month. Stop thinking that we were slaves for 400 years and start to remember that, for years, we were ruling our own dynasty. We are our own leaders and we rely solely on God for directions and we will be okay," she said.