(ThyBlackMan.com) Before saying it, I understood that the statement “I am not even worried about white folk” would shock the young brother attempting to debate me. I realized that he was doing his absolute best to engage me over significant racial matters. As I expected, my assertion caused him to suspend a point that he had been seeking to make for the past twenty minutes and fall into a deafening silence.
During what I knew would be a brief pause, I interjected that “The reason that I am not even worried about white folk is that such a defensive stance contributes significantly to black folk tendency to forego being proactive in favor of reacting to random racial incidents that simply do not hold power to impact our politico-economic position one iota. We must develop an agenda to liberate Black America and then execute it to the fullest of our ability.” Although I wanted to exit this discussion after this statement, I take great pains to not appear rude or offensive to our people.
As I expected, the young man hurriedly recited a litany of reasons that the above approach would fail to yield positive results. I listened as this young man “informed” me of the following.
- “White people are not going to just let you implement your program.”
- “They have created laws, rules, and regulations that are designed to keep black people down.”
- “I will never stop showing up when one of my brothers or sisters is harmed by some white person.”
In many ways, this verbal joust was unfair as my foe who I judged to be nearly three decades younger than I had yet to encounter the issues and maladies that led me to recede a long time ago from the very position he was determined to advance.
During this “debate” I realized that I had spent more time studying Race than this young man had been alive. During that time I realized the same thing that figures like Booker T. Washington, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, and Malcolm X realized during their attempts to uplift black people; that being, the best policy for Black America was “to do for self.” From my perspective, the refusal to adopt a mantra of “do for self” was akin to a private admission of cowardice.
I understood long ago that so many of today’s so-called revolutionaries slyly displayed. Self-proclaimed revolutionaries posture and pontificate in front of a microphone instead of dedicating themselves to a study regimen that would provide boulevards for them to analyze the present problems facing Black America and then provide a framework to develop plans, strategies, goal structures, and an opportunity to activate their liberation plans.
As I expected, the bourgeoning revolutionary standing in front of me failed to see the wisdom in ignoring one’s opponents and dedicatingoneself to a proactive regimen. Like so many others, he failed to comprehend what the agreed upon statement that “no one is coming to save Black America” really means. He didn’t comprehend that this assertion means that the onus was on modern-day race men and race women to build independent black educational institutions, develop an entrepreneurial class whose goals are undergirded by a philosophy of socially responsible individualism, and work to establish a cultural framework that served Black America’s best interests.
I hope that by the end of our verbal joust that this young man understood that the liberation never has and never will hinge on attacking our opponents on a singular basis. Black libertion has everything to do with the development and execution of a reasonable politico-economic agenda and nothing to do with assuming a reactionary position to counter the activities of our opponents.
Staff Writer; Dr. James Thomas Jones III
Official website; http://www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com
One may also connect with this brother via Twitter; DrJamestJones.