Over the summer we have had a lot of activism in the
African-American community in the form of marching and demonstrating. Many
gathered together to protest the verdict in the Trayvon Martin Case. Thousands
gathered to commemorate the 1963 March on Washington. These are important
events in which we should participate, however, our participation or activism
shouldn’t end with these marches and demonstrations. Marches and demonstrations
are mostly symbolic. Too many times, in the past as well as in the present, we
go to the march only to hear inspiring speeches. Everyone talks about what we
need to do to heal and to repair our community. It all sounds great and we all
feel good about being a part of a historic event, but then we go home and go
back to old patterns of behavior that aren’t helping us. Speeches can inspire,
but in and of themselves they can’t bring about change. People coming together
to march can’t bring about change, either. The real power comes from God and
the changes He makes in people’s hearts and minds – renewing or igniting a
desire for real change and enabling us with the power to follow through. It is
only this power that will allow us to act and engage in the real activism: the
choices and contributions we make on a daily basis that will lead us to move
forward.
Activism is not something people do one day as a special
event. It’s not something you do twice a week. It can’t be relegated to a
checklist. Activism is a state of consciousness that manifests itself in our
lifestyle. Real activism lies in the
decisions we make every single day. It is the little things we do, as well
as the big things. If you’re a mother, but you don’t take the time to properly
teach your children right from wrong, send them to school on time, make sure
they do their homework and get a good education, or spend time with them, then
you shouldn’t bother going to the civil rights rally. If you’re a man who’s
making babies with as many women you can find and you’re not taking care of any
of them, you’re wasting your time marching. If you’re a wealthy African-American
entrepreneur, but you don’t want to be bothered with being a mentor to the
younger generation because you’re afraid of what your mainstream associates
will think, what’s the point of attending that rally? If you’re an
African-American entertainer and you market degrading images and lyrics to your
own people, you’d probably do better to stay in your bed and get some sleep
than attend an issues forum. If you are a politician or activist and you’re
receiving money from people who are complicit in the destruction of the
community, save your speech for some fancy luncheon. Let’s not be like the
Pharisees that were around when Jesus walked the earth. Think about what Jesus said about them:
But
all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their
phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost
rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the
markets and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi (Matthew, 23: 5-7)
and
Even
so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of
hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, And say if we had
been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in
the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye
are the children of them which killed the prophets. (Matthew 23: 28 – 31)
So we need to ask ourselves the hard questions about why we
march. Is our marching to put on a show? Are we marching for our own selfish
profit: to curry favor, get votes, or new customers? Do we go to make ourselves
feel good or feel like we’re a part of something? Is marching a token gesture
that helps to mollify our conscience so that we can keep on with our
destructive behaviors?
You can’t be an activist if all you care about is getting in
a few sound bites for the news stations, or pandering for voters to win an
election. It’s not about having a captive audience to promote your latest
album, book, film, or other business venture. It’s not about looking good in
front of your friends, nor is it about being able to say you’re ‘different’
from other less educated African-Americans, or to show how you’ve ‘arrived’. So
many of our people, gather together at these rallies, demonstrations and
marches to give eloquent speeches about honoring the legacy of Martin, Medgar,
Rosa, Fred, and the others who risked everything to make things better for us,
but then after the march is over manage to desecrate the gains that God worked
through these people to make for us. How can you say you honor Martin, but
you’re walking around with your pants hanging down, using the n-word like a
pronoun, smoking marijuana, refusing to get your education, and selling death
to your people? Martin didn’t die so you could hang out on the corner or
collect government subsidies. How can one say that he or she honors Medgar, yet
when they get to a position of power they refuse to reach back into the
community? If you say you honor Rosa and Coretta, why are you twerking or doing
‘the booty shake’ and posting it on the internet? Why are you settling for the
role of ‘baby momma’? How can you say you honor our rich legacy when you refuse
to do business with your own people? We have African-Americans serving as a
lucrative market for other people EXCEPT their own. You say the memory of Emmitt
and Trayvon are important to you, and yet your own children are neglected and
have been left to raise themselves while you chase the dollar. This is not
right!!!!
Enough with the symbols! Enough with all the talk! Goodness
knows I’m sick of writing about it, too. It’s time to really DO SOMETHING! You don’t
have to be the executive secretary of the National Action Network to make a
difference. You don’t have to be the President of the United States. You don’t
have to have money like Oprah. Remember it’s the little things that count like
deciding where to shop, or deciding whether or not to call in sick or do your job like you’re supposed to.
If you’re not sure what you should be doing, allow me to offer a few
suggestions:
Men
Get a (legal) job even if you don’t get paid, and even if
you have to make it yourself. Find something positive that you know how to do,
work as hard as you can, and market it.
If you need additional education, swallow your pride, go
back to school and get that, too. So what if you never did well in school.
Figure out why you didn’t do well and make steps to change it this time around.
Don’t settle for less than the best you can be.
Stop making drama and babies you can’t afford with these
women out here. If you don’t really like
her, stay out of her bed and if you think you’re in love then stop wasting
time and marry her. If you’re not ready for marriage, then step aside and let
her find someone who is. In the meantime, work on yourself and not your ‘mack’.
If you have kids, take care of them. If you don’t have money
to spend, then spend time. Teach them whatever you know, but DO NOT PASS DOWN
THAT STREET THUG NONSENSE. Go to parent-teacher conferences. Volunteer at your
child’s school. Be a good role model and example.
Lose the bad habits (drugs/alcohol) if you have any unless
you want your kids to pick them up and/or destroy your own life.
Tear down those stupid “Godfather”, “Scarface”, and
“Sopranos” shrines you have in your crib. Yes, I have seen the shrines! For an
African-American to idolize these guys is like a Jewish person idolizing
Hitler. Honestly, have you no sense?
For those men who have jobs, money, and influence, you need
to stop worrying about how the majority view your activities and just trust God
and do the right thing. Mentor your own. God controls this world, not people.
Don’t let anyone scare you with that ‘race card’ nonsense because when they
accuse you of playing a ‘race card’, you can tell them such an accusation in
and of itself is a ‘race card’, too.
Read! Read! Read! – (The Bible in particular) Get out from
in front of the TV and Read! Too many black men suffer because they are
misinformed about who they are, where they came from, and what the real deal is
down here and it’s a shame. So many of our problems would be solved if brothers
would just open a book!
Stop tearing down other brothers! If you see another brother
that’s got it going on, don’t hate – appreciate. Ask him about how he got his or try to learn something from
him.
Young Men
Your education should be your first priority, not parties. Go
to school everyday and work hard. Be respectful to your teachers and
classmates. If you’re having a hard time keeping up, ask the guidance counselor
or other adult about getting tutoring. If you make good grades try to make a
deal with the teacher so he or she won’t put it on blast.
Leave the drugs and alcohol alone. I don’t care who or how
many are doing it – you shouldn’t.
Stay out of the club – you’re not missing anything. It smells there most of the time anyway.
Stay away from the guys who aren’t going anywhere, and I
don’t care how much street cred they have, and no, they can’t protect you.
Think of it this way, if God wants you to live there’s no thug powerful enough
to get you, and if God wants to call you home, there’s no thug strong enough to
keep you alive. God is not afraid of guns.
Instead of hanging out on the corner doing nothing but
serving as cop bait, or thug target practice, go to the library and read a book
about your ancestors and your history. Read the Bible.
Once again, DO NOT HANG OUT IN THE STREET. STAY AWAY FROM
NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS AND SCHOOL YARDS – ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMER. Play
basketball or any other sport in your own backyard or in an indoor facility.
Talk to your friends inside your house, their house, a restaurant (not the red
and white chicken places, mind you), the library, the movies, or some other
INDOOR space. I would even avoid outdoor events like free concerts, and bootleg
block parties, as trouble tends to roam at these kinds of things.
STAY AWAY FROM HOUSE PARTIES! THERE IS ALWAYS TROUBLE THERE.
THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THE SO CALLED BEEFS GET STARTED. DUDES WHO COME TO THESE
THINGS WILL START A BEEF WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU FARTED NEAR THEM. JUST STAY AWAY!
Get involved with your church or a civic organization and
give back. Be a big brother or tutor little kids who need help.
Don’t worry about proving your manhood with these girls. A
real man is one who can provide for his seed, not just spread it.
DON’T EVER GET INTO A FIGHT OVER A GIRL – NO MATTER WHO SHE
IS, SHE’S NOT WORTH IT! TOO MANY FEMALES ON THIS PLANET TO FIGHT OVER ONE.
Women
If you’re single, focus on developing you, your relationship
with God and your career. Don’t worry about looking for Mr. Right. If it’s in
God’s plan it will happen. If it’s not, nothing you do can make it
happen.
Smile – it won’t break your face.
Stay away from drugs and alcohol.
Don’t believe him when he says he’s married/in a
relationship but he’s having problems with his wife/girlfriend and is going to
leave her soon. This is really old, ladies. If you fall for it you might as
well put an idiot sticker on your forehead.
Don’t believe every single “I love you”. If he really loves
you, he’ll offer to marry you.
Tell him the next step is not ‘living together’, it’s
marriage.
Just because you can be a single-mother doesn’t mean you
should. Children need fathers, so choose wisely.
If he walks away from you, don’t take him back unless
there’s children involved. If he’s a beater, you
NEVER take him back unless
he’s shown real signs of change (attending therapy, has been in a relationship
with someone else and has not been abusive during that time).
If you’re happily married, treat your man with respect that
is due and don’t use the white man measuring stick to rate him – it’s not fair.
Don’t treat men like ATM’s. If you want something, buy it
yourself.
Don’t drink the feminist poison kool-aid. There is no
freedom in sexual promiscuity. I mean really ladies, think about it – what man
wouldn’t want all women to be sexually promiscuous. You’re not hurting him at
all! Now he has more women to choose from and he doesn’t have to commit to any
of you! And notice that Madonna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Rihanna (she and
Chris really didn’t make it, despite rumors) are…alone. You know why, because
no one wants to marry or even have a relationship with a human toilet.
Take down the Beyonce shrine – don’t try to justify and say
she has a positive message, she doesn’t. What kind of message does she send
when she’s doing her stripper imitation? In any case, like her music, if you
must, but please don’t make her into your idol.
STOP IT WITH THE OVERPRICED HANDBAGS AND SHOES!
If you have kids, you need to focus on taking care of them.
They didn’t ask to come here and as such you should be doing everything within
your power to provide a good life for them. They deserve to have a mom like Claire
Huxtable or Harriet Winslow. You should make their breakfast, iron their
clothes for school, be there to ask them how their day went, help them with
their homework and spend time with them. You know you would want someone to do
that for you, so shouldn’t you do that for the children you say you love?
If you aren’t married and have children, stop trying to
imitate ‘Desperate Housewives’ with all of the
drama of bringing no good men
into your house – and yes, you know he’s no good. All he does is bluster and
bully, if he doesn’t beat you and the kids, and spends money like water. Get
rid of him by any means necessary. Don’t have a baby for him. As a matter of
fact, don’t be one of those women that has a ‘souvenir child’ for every guy
she’s dated. Having one baby daddy is an honest mistake, having two is
embarrassing, but having three or more is just plain stupid.
Young Girls
Stay in school and get your education. This should be your
first priority, not the cute guy in your math class.
Don’t wait until you have two kids to decide you want to go
to college. You don’t know how sick I am of hearing these young women talk
about how they don’t want to go to college. Instead they want to hang out on
the street with these boys. Then when they get pregnant, and have a baby, they
say they want to go back to school.
College comes first! You just can’t bring a life into the world then
neglect it to get what you want! People with sense have the children after they
establish themselves so they can focus on their child without so much
distraction. You can’t work, go to school, and care for kids at the same time
without the children having to suffer – and I don’t care what some fake ‘supermom’
or ‘superdad’ says (It’s always ‘supermom’ going to pick up her son from jail
or take care of her 14 year old daughter’s baby). So stop worrying about the guys and worry about fulfilling
the purpose and plan God has for your life.
If you already have that baby: your mom didn’t have that
baby, you did. Now you are the one
that needs to step up. Your mom will babysit if you are going to school or work.
Don’t you dare ask her to babysit while you go out with your friends unless
you’re ready to pay her.
Hold off on dating until you’re in college. Find out who you
are before you start to worry about what someone else wants you to be.
Don’t date guys who are a lot older than you. All they want
to do is manipulate you and use you. Since they are older and have been around,
they’ll succeed no matter how street smart you think you are.
DON’T EVER GET INTO A FIGHT OVER A GUY! NO MATTER WHO HE IS,
HE’S NOT WORTH IT! TOO MANY BROTHERS OUT THERE TO FIGHT OVER ONE –AND NO,
THEY’RE NOT ALL IN JAIL, SO DON’T SETTLE.
To The Community
STOP THROWING YOUR MONEY AWAY IN A FUTILE ATTEMPT TO BUY
SELF ESTEEM. YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU CAN’T PAY YOUR RENT, BUT YOU HAVE MONEY
FOR $300.00 NIKE’S? I don’t think there are any sneakers on this earth that are
worth $300.00, and I don’t care if King Solomon came back from the dead to
design them. The same goes for shoes, handbags, weaves, or anything else
someone can make. Think of how much money we could have if we just bought less
expensive no-frills brands that are of the same quality (and I don’t buy into
the idea that the more expensive something is the better the quality. I have
seen $500.00 designer sweaters pilling on the rack in the store, while
something I was wearing that was cheaper looked better after having been worn
for five years). And please don’t respond by telling me what people of other cultures
do with their money. They’re not the ones in crisis, WE ARE.
SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!
SPEND MONEY ON THINGS THAT GENERATE INCOME such as
investments, property, retirement accounts, 401k’s, degrees, inventory,
building your business, etc.
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF! At the end of the day, you
always have a choice. Stop blaming others for your problems. Stop blaming the
police for your DWI arrest – no one poured alcohol down your throat and forced
you to drive at gunpoint. Stop blaming the system. I don’t care if your
accusation is valid. Stop focusing on what happened and focus on what you have
to do now to get things right. If you were abused, or hurt in the past, then
you can’t allow yourself to wallow in self-pity or grief. Don’t let tragedies
stop you from being your best you. Stop looking for the government handouts. If
you can game the system for that SSI check, you can game the education complex
for a diploma. The latter is much easier. Get up and try something. God will
help you if you ask in faith.
TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR COMMUNITY! You shouldn’t be
littering your neighborhood or tagging or destroying the building you live in.
The reason why the ghetto looks bad, and smells bad is because the people that
live in the buildings don’t care for their community. It is not the super’s job
to keep cleaning up after you. You should care enough about your own living
space and your own health to take care of where you live. If the building is
falling apart from normal wear and tear you and other tenants in the building
need to raise your voice and let the manager and owners know and if they don’t
respond, you will file a class action suit and take them to court. If your
neighborhood school stinks, raise your voice. Find like-minded people and start
making some phone calls and visits and don’t stop until something gets
done. You want job readiness and
training programs for your community, get together with brothers and sisters
and make them. If the children are threatened by gangs, then adults need to
enact curfews and patrol the streets at night. I don’t know why as a people we
keep waiting on a government that we know doesn’t deliver. When are we going to
wise up!
LOVE ONE ANOTHER! STOP HATING ON EACH OTHER! We African Americans
are always hating on each other. It’s time to stop. Every other ethnic group
will seek out their own and patronize their own. They support their businesses
and institutions and their entrepreneurs and entertainers don’t go out of their
way to degrade their own people. We need to represent, not to others, but to
our own young men and women – to help them become the best that they can be and
to keep the legacy going. This is how you nation build!
If everyone just worked on the little things everyday, we
could become a strong and prosperous people. The more each individual works the
stronger the collective will become. After all, what’s easier to cut: a rope
made up of a hundred pieces of thread or a rope made of hundreds of metal
wires? You be the judge.
Peace.
LC.
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