I talked about this a few weeks ago and a few folks responded with contents they consume from other cultures/ethnicities. Most of the things listed fell in the category of “deep”. Documentaries, renown authors or books, deep meaningful movies, etc… it sounded a bit like most had done this kind of dive, much like a child does homework. Not out of love, curiosity or desire, but out of necessity.
This is not what I mean when I say consume more ethnic (specifically Black) content! I mostly mean culturally relevant content and for the record, not as a one-time thing, like you read a book and you’re done but more like it’s something added to your daily consumption of media, it’s ongoing.
And I don’t mean political or philosophical figures, I mean daily life type of stuff. If you’re into cooking for example, follow a couple of Black cooking content creators or chefs, if you’re into movies add Black directors and movies to your monthly consumption, if books are your thing, Black authors also write sci-fi, fantasy and romance novels. You need to catch more than a whiff of culture, you need to taste it.
Why it’s important; Contents with profound meaning are usually analytical in nature, they break down certain issues or delve into the roots of a problem, they still don’t make you understand on an instinctive level what things mean. There’s no been there, done that click for your brain. It is only through exposure to the culture itself that you can reach a stage that while not the same, you will recognize it will be a “ohh now I understand x y or z” moment.
Think of it like this, as a child you learned your abc’s and your 123’s… but it wasn’t until you had to write your name, or count your cookies that you understood the purpose of them. Learning is one thing, and one learns a lot from deep meaningful movies and books, but understanding on a basic instinctive level comes from everyday life.
There are several “others” that can be easily included in your content consumption, different spices if you will for a richer flavor of life. There are Black content creators of course, Latino ones in English or Spanish if you speak it, Neuro-Divergent folks, LGBTQIA folks, whatever genre you’re into, you can find a couple of different cultures to follow in those genres. Y’all don’t have no excuses for research because AI and search engines are everywhere.
As I’ve said before, every other culture in this country consumes the primary contents made by white folks (that’s why we understand them so well), hell it’s often the most consumed in certain other countries too. But a lot of folks and I don’t only mean white people do not do cross overs, unless the channel they are subscribe to, has a Black person or another minority on board and what you need to realize is self-censoring in order not to rock the boat is a thing.
And I don’t mean watch movies about gangs and violence either, I mean watch / read things made by Black folks for Black folks and very importantly watch them in that mindset so you don’t get offended. Now go and take the plunge! Don’t forget your swimsuits!
#TheAmericanHaitianPoet
Muriel Vieux – March 3rd, 2026 – ©All rights reserved
Paypal.me/murielvieux
