Wanting More For Ourselves

PART TWO

Allowing someone to do something, is not the same as giving them jurisdiction; providing jobs is not the same as empowerment—because in both cases—someone else is regulating your ability to achieve.  If I have jurisdiction, I have thee authority: There is no middle man; I have the power to regulate it.  Offering jobs provided by others is not empowerment, for the people you are offering it to.  Training people to run jobs and businesses, providing small businesses loans to qualifying people, appropriate education in the ways of conducting proper American business and counseling are some of ways that this country could rectify and “open the doors” for Blacks; which is a small price to pay after obliterating our cultural identity—that is, if they were really sincere about making amends.  

It would be different if we had political organizations like the Jewish Defense League, or we had communities that were well-organized, wherein we could address such issues privately, amongst highly concentrated populations of our own ethnicity; Sporting Black business organizations which supported such efforts, and discussed such factors among it’s members in private meetings or social clubs; and/or local neighborhood groups that made this their priority: But sad to say we, as a whole, have not evolved to such sophistication as a people.  We still have a problem living among each other (as a group), where our economic situation has not forced us to come and stay together (such as poverty).  We often find ourselves trying to distance ourselves from such a complex circumstance and situation (as being Black in America), by disassociating with each other and trying to make our way in life—on a person-to-person basis.  This type of thinking leaves us in a weakened and isolated state (since there’s strength in numbers), dependent solely upon the people who showed you benevolence to vouch and protect you; never considering that these people may not want to put themselves on the firing line for you—i.e, when confronting racist elements within American society.  Truly it is a complicated situation; precarious at best, and personally I feel we do not have the right to position those few good meaning among them to resolve a situation that we ourselves are not wholly into.                                                

In the 60s, there were sit-ins, marches, and riots.  In the 60s, there were rallies, protests, and media broadcasts interviews.  If you really want to get the spirit of the times, I’ll make the suggestion to go on Google and YouTube and read and watch as much as possible—that is, only if you are willing to approach this with an open mind; And what I mean by that is that these people did a lot to raise the consciousness of us (as a people), and if you are going to research with a preconceived notion, then you might as well not bother.  

The Black Panthers started out as a self-help group, creating before and after school programs in the public school system within their own urban communities—that is, before getting forced into protecting themselves against the racism within the mainstream of American society—only to later be supplied with powerful fire-arms and infiltration; only so that they could be depicted and charged with militancy: But in keeping with the previous statement, I say if you strongly believe that the Panthers were just a militant group—you might as well not waste your time reading about them; because you will only pick out the stuff that matches your own political point of view any way.  A true scientist of life does not set out to prove or disprove his or her hypothesis; they seek to learn what is happening, in the attempt to find out what is true and what is not.

Were all our Black vanguards right in everything they were saying?  Probably not, as hindsight is always 20/20 and no one always is until they gain a proper experience and understanding about such things. . .  However, these pathfinders and trendsetters were just waking up; just starting to see things as they really are, and telling the community about their observations; making the people aware of their findings; in the streets and in the press.  The subject was new, the examples were few, and the times were changing.  Their actions in the press was arming their antagonists.  Their position in those times were fresh; there were no prior examples.  Jim Brown said of our vanguards during the sixties; they were immature.  Agreed; their fathers weren’t revolutionaries, and the men before them were intimidated.  Our leaders had little to no examples currently living who could tell them what to do to remedy the situation; and whatever they knew about those who came before them, they had to learn from a media and print that did not care to speak about such heroes because that sort of thing was against America’s best interests.  Yet nonetheless, they kept to the path by the light of the lessons lain before them.  They made sure that America knew what was wrong with Black people in this country and yet, the society chose to incarcerate or silence them; then feed the rest of us with a substitute.  

Hindsight is alway twenty/twenty.  I also agreed that we should have aim more at economic independence rather than jobs.  Nonetheless, this particular behavior demonstrates intent on the part of the majority of these other people and on behalf of the system they belong to that they never had any intent on making the society equal; And my father has always taught me to never go searching for that that does not exist—whether or not it is a wish, hope, or dream.  So I, take on the initiation of my own, wish, hopes, or dreams by my own means.  Seldom do I rely on others—especially those who are not built like me—like another people outside my own, or those who are not advocated for the same common cause.  I know there is strength in numbers—but those numbers have got to be real numbers; not numbers in theory.

I cannot expect for people to know what I am going through, if they have not been through it themselves; Nor can I expect for people (especially people of other races and nationalities) to express the same initiative as myself, if experience has not educated them to the same awareness as I: So my social equality is only shared upon life’s veterans—the rest I will teach civilization to, if they are willing.  Dr. Frances Welsing points these sort of things out in her book, The Isis Papers.  Do not sleep on her genius.  I give homage to my ancestors of the South, who faced this adversity and still withstood everything thrown at them.  That’s why we are still alive today.  But don’t ever believe that an old fox cannot teach a young fox. 

In that vicariousness, there is a dependency on a people which once enslaved your people and still has not given our people equal rights.  Are we that afraid to rely on our efforts that we would depend on such a flimsy foundation, rather than plot a course to the stars ourselves?  Surely it makes you wonder: Were we put under a spell of such an enormous fear and doubt that we find it hard to escape it, or is it our own undoing by having our cultural fabric ripped from under us and torn asunder as a result of slavery?  I have my thoughts on the subject, but as a scientist, I must gather the proof before I assert—and there’s not enough to show and prove beyond doubt; but we are definitely under post traumatic stress as a result of slavery. . .   

But the resurrection starts one person and one family at a time.  It starts by saying something encouraging about your neighbor.  It starts by making the commitment to uphold your relationship past your idiosyncrasies, your personal wants, and your petty differences.  You owe it to the future of Black people to provide what generations before you did: Dare to Struggle; Dare to Win.  We are the ones who need the help and the help has to be borne from us, and us alone.  Then we can monitor it; then we can make sure it lives.  That partying we did, was like we thought we had Black power built off of affirmative action and college grants.  We were not ready to think concertedly.  We had a sense of belonging then, but no sense of nation.  We played the Everyman for himself Game, and we all realized, it wasn’t like we thought it would be; and a lot of us Cracked Up, but it was no laughing matter.  Handouts usually come with strings attached; recipients usually get hooked on it, like children get Hooked on Phonics.   The younger generations have got to take a more active part in the destiny of themselves as a people: Donald Trump didn't get all that backing because there's more of others who think with different mentality than he. . .  

How can we expect our children to respect us, when we become selfish, self-indulgent, and want to party like we are ageless children?  When the so called gains of the 60s were lost in the 70s—the government changed the rules and policy on riots and protests: GracE Slick said, “The public education you get in the state will never be as good as it was during the 60s.”  She is right: it isn’t.  We have been dumbed down and rugged individuals and government has become stronger.  X and Y’s decision to not look back and try something new; has allowed the conservatives to be able to press the reset button on the new generations.  You have to study the past, to see what the future holds.  As long as every individual has creature comforts and a I pod, they will not think towards solidarity, or to vote, or to take their world by the reigns. . .   But we can ill afford this, for the script written for Black folks has a different author. . .  

More news at 11. 

Thank you for your consideration,

C. Be'er la Hai-roi Myers 

Peace