1. Be Black. No more denial about who you are. You’re Black, not multi-this or multi-that? When Officer Harassment stops you, he doesn’t care if yo’ mamma’s mamma’s mamma — or yo’ daddy is light or White. And, besides, denying your Blackness ain’t cool, it’s silly. Ain’t nobody a 100 percent anything anymore so just because your mother or father is of another race doesn’t mean you’re any more multi-racial than any other Black person.
2. Be Down with Team Black. Being Pro Black isn’t about being anti-anyone or anything else; it’s about working on behalf of Black people in need — and we all need. Truth be told, there are some White folks more down with Team Black than Black folks. They understand our plight more than some Black folks do, and they know that we are all “connected.”
You can try to “fit in to get in” with the other folks at work, hoping for a pat on the head or to feel like you’re “better” because you think you’ve crossed some sort of Color Line. However, it’s not only about being phony when you’re priorities revolve around White folks validating you, it’s cultural suicide.
And don’t ignore Black people in your workplace (a lot of Black people do); speak up when someone says something racist; help your people when they’re being discriminated against; and mentor the young Black folks. Many of them are so crazy acting because we’ve failed them, we haven’t raised them right or helped them.
3. Leave the Plantation. There should only be two kinds of Black people working on the American Employment Plantation: those Black folks planning to leave, and those leaving today. Everything in life is what you think it is. If you think you cannot leave your job, then you can’t and you probably never will. If you really think you can, you will.
If something inside of you — maybe your Soul Brotha Spidy Senses — doesn’t pick up on several of the ways you and/or your talent is minimized or undervalued on the American Employment Plantation, then you are already defeated.
4. Energy. Cut back on the fried foods, the Soul Food, or cook and eat in new, healthier ways. Cut back on the drinking and leave the drugs alone. Racism already makes us crazy so why in the hell would we be doing drugs?
5. Stop Being Scared of Everything. Have you seen all those folks take to the streets in Egypt and those other middle east countries? So what’s wrong with Black folks doing the same? Why are we so damn scared of White folks? If you scared, say you scared — then demand justice until you get it.
Our Civil Rights glory days are so long gone we cannot even remember them. But when are we going to demand something be done about our being the last hired and first fired, the prison Industrial Complex, double and triple unemployment? When are we going to demand Hollyweird and these Black networks (Blackyweird, Buffoonerywood) show us respectable images?
You’re only hear on earth for a short period of time, and you can’t take all your stuff or your job with you when you die — so stop running from a bogeyman who’s only chasing you because he knows you so damned scary.
And stop talking about what you’re gonna do one day and just do what you have to do to be successful.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.