(ThyBlackMan.com) The misunderstood history of Black America has changed in many ways during post slavery. The emergence of the internet which provides detailed information on almost any subject, has shed light on what really happened to our leaders of the past.
Hard times have plagued the minds and bodies of millions of African Americans who have in many ways searched for a messiah to help them reach what’s referred to today as the promise land. This search has brought us several great Black Americans who have tried to fill that messianic void. Leaders like Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Booker T. Washington have all in many ways been looked at as the Self Guided One. Many of the Black Leaders, whether placed as a leader by whites or by the majority of black people, were killed because of fear that is fueled by racism.
The post slavery leaders of blacks have taken many forms beginning with the white slave overseer. From there the black Preacher, Politician, Intellectual, and Celebrity have all tried to fill the role of Black America’s leaders. It’s 
important for all man kind to understand that we are all products of a mental war which through many aspects of American culture has destroyed the love humans have for one another.
Today it has gotten so bad that many people of all nationalities who could be considered racist because of their actions don’t even know they are a racist. Why does Black America wait for a messiah to come along to bring us closer to the Creator? And why has the fact that our African ancestors who believe we are never separated from the Creator who lives in us all, become a forgotten memory today?
One reason I believe this is happening is that some religious institutions have taken humanity to a level of complacency which keeps many of us who worship that particular religion in a box. This box doesn’t allow one to realize that there is a difference between being spiritual and being religious; a difference which will determine if one can achieve peace in life. We go to church, or the mosque to listen to its human messenger without checking the facts of what the person is saying. My uncle who was a street thug summed up this problem by saying to me as a child, “A fool is someone who believes only what he sees.”
Today through the young generation the majority of the black leaders are celebrities. These celebrities in many cases have been used as a counter productive entity that has distracted the masses from the real problem, which is a lack of black social theory which as Dr. Bobby Wright stated in the 1980’s makes us think that anything is cool. This is serious for us to understand that the masses of black people still haven’t created a black social theory since Bobby spoke those prophetic words 30 years ago. As rapper/entrepreneur Ice Cube states to the youth today, “Hell on earth is being stuck in the 80’s”.
The need for black leaders today is evident but who gets to say who is qualified to lead us? Many of the black politicians we elect become pawns in a game which historically has left Black Americans in the lower classes of life. As we move forward to 2011 we must continue to praise the leaders of the past for all that they have done to help us obtain freedom. We all must quickly realize that the time we waste waiting for the next messianic leader could be spent on fixing the problems in our communities that we all suffer from in one way or another. This I realize is no easy task but through knowledge of self, love and patience, the leader in us all will help us achieve the change that we so desperately want and most importantly need.
Staff Writer; Steve Johnson
This brother is also a self published author; SwjBooks.
