The world is moving at a very fast pace. A few years ago the computers that powered the space flights took up whole rooms. Today, the average person holds more power than that in his or her hands in the form of cell phones, according to recent reports.
Black people are huge consumers of this technology. Arguably, according to some sources, they are the biggest consumers of goods and services (proportionately considered) in the United States. Though this is the case, Blacks fall behind when it comes to producing. To be sure, African Americans do produce, but there seems to be a disproportionate number of Blacks not buying products made by other Blacks. Black banks are failing as well as other businesses, which have gone belly-up due to non-support.
Of course, it can be said that one of the reasons Black businesses fail is that Blacks are disproportionately unemployed, or underemployed. This may be a contributor to the problem, but it is not the whole story. The Black community in America spends over a trillion dollars annually. Because of this, it is ludicrous to say that the community is impoverished. The challenge is not how much money is spent, but where it is spent. Basically, a lot of that money does not return to the Black community.
The problem of Black economic empowerment is not limited to the United States. Africa is arguably the richest continent on the planet when it comes to mineral resources. It also has a huge land mass. Yet, everyone has been able to dine at its table of riches while the indigenous people remain some of the poorest, most exploited people on the globe.
Actually, if the truth be told, everywhere Black people reside there is a dearth of economic resources. EVERYWHERE. There is a saying that you take yourself with you wherever you go. Black people all around the world are suffering a similar collective fate. And that is the problem. This fate, which implies powerlessness, must be turned into “destiny,” the charting of a distinct collective course of action. This may sound like so much Pollyanna-ish tripe, but wherever Blacks and whites come together, Blacks end up with the short end of the stick and assume the weaker position. This is due to behavior, not qualifications.
Every endeavor that Black people have seriously pursued, on an individual level, has resulted in great triumphs. What do these individuals have in common? If asked they will tell you that they set a goal and refused to give up on it. This single factor was the basic ingredient of their success.
Michael Jordan was once cut from his high school basketball team, but he turned lemons into lemonade through sheer practice and determination. Oprah Winfrey was not always at the top of her game. Tyler Perry was once homeless. John H. Johnson started his publishing empire with $500 that he got from his mother. Venus and Serena Williams, who were coached by their father, have ended up dominating the world of women’s tennis. Tiger Woods, Magic Johnson, Dorothy Dandridge, Jackie Robinson, Jack Johnson, and many others believed in themselves to such an extent that they were able to overcome huge odds on their way to certain success.
So, if they can do this on an individual level, why hasn’t the community as a whole followed suit? The answer is simple, the self-confident determination present in those who succeed as individuals is basically missing in the collective community. Moreover, there are too many crabs in the barrel!
Just think for a moment; if Black people could see themselves in other Blacks, love them, and work in concert with them, there is NOTHING that could keep the community down. The oppression that is perceived to come from white people would be instantly abated if Black people would change habitual negative behaviors.
Black people who have succumbed to the philosophy of Black inferiority need to stop drinking that Kool-Aid, wake up, and realize there is strength in numbers. This is the main ingredient needed in the science of Black liberation. If individual successes in the face of overwhelming odds can be used as a gauge, Black people working as a united force would render the community unstoppable! A Luta Continua!
