(ThyBlackMan.com) If our people are to survive and thrive for generations to come, each of us must take a positive and proactive role to insure that survival. As African Americans, each of us has the responsibility to preserve, protect, unify, uplift and increase the population of our people. and only by coming to overstand this can we collectively neutralize the efforts that have been launched and put in place against us. We are much stronger together than we are apart so the selfish, individualistic attitudes too many of our people exhibit can only hurt us both individually and collectively.
The first thing we have to do is tell our people the truth. That means no more lies about weed. That means coming out of denial. That means exposing poor role models. That means telling young parents how to be parents and older parents to return to what they know works. That means removing excuses, recognizing and rejecting negative subcultures and any forms of entertainment that degrade our women or promote ignorance and self destructive behaviors to our young men.
Take personal responsibility for our actions. Blame the police when they are at fault but hold our people accountable when 
we are at fault as well. That includes taking an honest look at the Sandra Blands, the Tamir Rices, the Eric Garners, the Michael Browns, the Jordan Davis, the Trayvon Martins, the Samuel Duboses, the BLM people, me, you and everyone else. The mirror in our homes should be a wake-up call, not an enemy.
Correct our people. Decades ago our teachers, neighbors and family friends could correct our children when they were caught doing something wrong. We did not need the police nearly as much and young people knew to respect their elders. Then, somewhere along the way, parents focused more on being friends than parents, discipline migrated out of schools and neighbors became silent. Young people began to get away with more and receive correction less. But we have to go back to correcting our youth respectfully (not screaming at them) and expecting more from them and ourselves.
Set a standard of excellence and great expectations. Today so many African Americans expect so little from themselves and their children. Our people are lowering the bar with unproductive excuses and expressions like hip hop and ebonics – and parents are letting them get away with it. Our young ladies are dressing like whores and blatantly promiscuous while our young men are confused about what gender they are, saggin their pants and smelling like street weed laced with rat poison and embalming fluid.
Part of the reason for these things is because the parents of these youth are just as lost. And our churches are not tackling the problem either. But we must expect more from our people because our people are capable of so much more. Excellence and great expectations must become the rule for our people, not the exceptions that we celebrate and commemorate with parades and holidays and text books.
Support ideas and efforts. One way to support our people is to help their ideas and worthwhile causes. Participate. Contribute positive input. Share the ideas with others on your social media. Refer people to the cause.
Identify and expose opportunists. If you know a business is not giving good service, expose it and stop using it. If you know a church or organization is just about the money, expose that too. If you know a pedophile pastor, let somebody know.
Stop committing crimes against each other. That means the home invasions, the car-jackings and even the petty theft needs to stop. Yes that means we have to confront friends, coworkers and family members who participate in “black on black” crime and we may even have to get official or professional agencies involved. That means don’t buy “hot” stuff, especially if your little cousin got a hold of that 60 inch LED TV or that Macbook Pro laptop. That means you don’t buy or sell weed, other drugs or pills. That means you don’t help our people commit crimes and you don’t purposely benefit from such crimes. We cannot and must not put each other at risk any longer.
Respect ourselves then each other. When we respect ourselves it reflects in how we carry ourselves, how we treat our bodies, how we react, what we expect from ourselves and what we show the world. When we respect ourselves it manifests in where we go, how we speak, what we buy and who we connect with. When we respect ourselves we realize certain behaviors are destructive and beneath us so we cease and avoid those behaviors. In order to do this, we are going to have to recognize then neutralize self hatred and feelings of inferiority. When we respect each other we listen to each other, we help each other and we reach out to each other.
Wake our churches up or do not support them. There are at least two churches on every major street in every neighborhood in this country. Yet in the African American community there is far too much homelessness, divorce, domestic violence, abortion, drug dealing, drug abuse, depression, incarceration and unemployment. Our churches are failing our communities and focusing far too much money, time and energy on the pastor. That needs to stop and the people need to demand that the church address their needs. Forget private jets, hold pedophile “bishops” accountable and stop being used people. There are a few good churches about the business of what they say they represent but there are far too many operating like worldly corporations and fleecing the flock instead of feeding the sheep. If you are a member of a church that is not helping the poor and the homeless, serious about outreach etc., leave that church or you have become part of the problem.
Stop the double standards. If you want people to support your vision, idea, business, project or organization, you need to be willing to support the endeavors of other people as well. I say this to the Nation of Islam, the NAACP, the SCLC, BLM and every other group that claims to be about lifting up our people. You may know some of them and some of them you may not. But if the cause is just, get involved and help out in as many ways as you can. And no, simply writing a check in church does not replace your personal involvement.
Don’t make everything about money. We all have bills and responsibilities. Almost none of us have all the money we need. But some things are about a cause, not always about money. Our people need to be willing to help each other without always having financial gain as a motive or hidden motive. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. There are tons of rewards for giving, but even those should not always be our primary motivation. What about making a difference, changing a life or being the very thing we might need one day?
Don’t expect everything for free. On the other side of the coin, small businesses have expenses and the owners have families to feed. While it is perfectly reasonable to negotiate the best deal you can, keep in mind what is fair vs what is unreasonable. And when dealing with our people, if you can afford to pay a reasonable asking price – pay it. Do not nickel and dime our people.
By now you may wonder how we accomplish all of these things but it can be done. It will be easier with the collective input and proactive involvement of the entire African American community, though it can and probably will have to be done with far less participation than that. But there are those of us out here each day working towards making it happen. A small group of our people who are strategic, informed and passionate can change a community and a somewhat larger group can change a city. Believe it or you will never up to do it. Michael Jackson stated it best when he said “if you want to make the world a better place, take a look in the mirror and make that change“.
Staff Writer; Marque-Anthony