(ThyBlackMan.com) “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds. But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.”
-Dr. Martin L. King Jr.
The big question that many are afraid to address is—what does America owe Black America? Would it be wrong to say over four centuries of working to 
build and revitalize black communities, schools, families, homes, and the slave like mentality that has cursed Black Americans from the time they landed here on American soil?
Would it be wrong to say that America owes Black America forty-acres and a mule, with one-hundred and forty-six years of interest intact? Would it be wrong to say that America owes Black America the entire country for fighting and dying on the front lines for a nation that would so casually string them from a tree and set their bodies on fire in front of their wives and children? Or would it be wrong to say eight-teen hour work days, toiling in the hot sun with the lack of food, and clothing?
At this point, answers to these questions would not help anyone, nor would they repay the debt that is rightly owed to Black America. More than that, it certainly would not fix the problems plaguing the black community. What we want is a fair and equal chance at “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as defined by the founding fathers of ‘white’ America. To be treated like human beings in a country that has promised its citizens unalienable rights is a very reasonable request. America owes Black America an equal playing field so that black individuals can start making strides and advancements in their communities.
In no uncertain terms am I blaming America for the misconduct of some Black Americans today, but the overall condition of the Black community wouldn’t be the same without the wrong doings of a flawed American system. The problems in the Black community lay in our own hands, but outside powers continue to shackle down and hold back the potential of a very strong community. Whether this debt is collected or not, the potential to advance is in the hands of black people.
If we sit around waiting for someone else to give us something, we may just be waiting for another five centuries. It is time for us to mobilize and unite to bring about change. We owe it to ourselves to recognize our past, accept it, and create our own future. That has to be done right now.