Music Was His Life, But His Mother Could Never Enter His World

Beethoven
Shonda Buchanan
December 15, 2020

When he saw the photographer grab the white powder, he yelled. He didn’t need it! Why did he have to fight so hard to just be himself?

White people loved his music and sympathized with his growing deafness, but they refused to let him do one crucial thing.

Celebrated as a great composer worldwide, the media betrayed him by its denial of his truth. When he looked in the mirror, he saw a handsome man. But what did he sacrifice for his fame? 

His race! He loved his brown skin, his black frizzy-wooly hair and the thick-wide nose he was born with, but white society made him suffer. They forced him to hide his Blackness by powdering his face before performances and using face doubles for portraits and busts – ALL so they could claim his genius for their race and country! 

But his mother was by many accounts a Black woman. Would history reveal the truth?

No – so we must! Beethoven’s Blackness is disputed historically, but we know that history is rife with examples of whitewashing.

If we fight to maintain a positive self-image despite white society’s attempts to whitewash our Blackness, then we can achieve critical success and progress for ourselves, our families and communities. Never let anyone force you to hide your beautiful Blackness! 

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