The etymology of the idiom Black don’t crack is as dubious as its origin. Even so, there are scientific and social truths to this phrase. Scientifically, the idiom may refer to the three types of melanin present in the human body, eumelanin (blackish brown), pheomelanin (pink), and neuromelanin (black). Varying concentrations of each type of melanin are present in all human beings. Two of the melanin, eumelanin and pheomelanin, control our physical attributes, such as hair color, skin tone, and freckles. Eumelanin protects the skin from sun damage by absorbing harmful ultraviolet rays[1]. Eumelanin also protects the body from environmental pathogens which can lead to stress, premature aging, and other health concerns. Too much eumelanin (hyperpigmentation) is harmless; however, eumelanin deficiency can lead to hearing loss and Parkinson’s Disease. The third melanin, neuromelanin, controls human cognitive attributes. Neuromelanin, is generated in the brain from birth and is responsible for the highest levels of mental function[2]. Neuromelanin also produces dopamine which is responsible for mood, behavior, and cognition, among other things. Science confirms that neuromelanin in the brain serves an important active function in human cognition and behaviors[3].
As a social ideology, Black don’t crack refers to the resilience of the human spirit that remains committed to dismantling institutional colonialism, structural injustice, and economic castes.
Black don’t crack is social and humanitarian justice in action which manifests in numerous ways.
Black don’t crack is the rhythm of change felt in songs like Ball of Confusion, Young, Gifted, and Black, and How I Got Over.
Black don’t crack is scholarly engagement that surpasses time and location with universally relevant messages found in Dark Waters: Voices From Within the Veil, Ethics of Resistance, and The Inward Journey.
Black don’t crack is transformative, turning food previously deemed unfit for consumption to delicacies such as lobsters, oysters, and shrimp into world class delicacies.
Black don’t crack has universal medical implication as evident by The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks.
Black don’t crack is economic strength and power seen in the work ethic of people who gird up global economies with pecuniary crumbs from corporations and institutions.
Black don’t crack speaks truth to power heard in the voices of Martin Luther King who found Strength to Love, President Barack Obama who had The Audacity to Hope, Angela Davis who reminds us that Freedom is a Constant Struggle, and Toinette Eugene who, through the remnants of pain and suffering, tells us that there is a Balm in Gilead.
Black don’t crack because Black can’t crack.
If Black cracked, the global community would be rendered deaf and trembling, resigned to violence and the basest of human reasoning. If Black cracked, nations would be unable to engage in civil discourse or higher level political, economic, social, or ethical collective inquiry. Black is the spirit of reason, the soul of resistance, and the force that is necessary to lead to a higher moral and ethical standard. If Black cracked the world would truly suffer.
[1] PLEASE USE SUNBLOCK.
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