The Movement of Millions
In lieu of this past weekend’s march in D.C., I thought it necessary to reflect on the outcome of the last three marches and contemplate what we can expect from this one. Forgive me if there have been more than three marches but I’m only aware of the Million Man, Million Woman and Million Youth (I think that name is right).
First off, this thought was inspired from remarks from Tavis Smiley on the Tom Joyner Show. He noted that he found that black people are in an anxious, if I may… desperate state. We (black folk) tried to play the game that was set for us by ‘the man’ and now we are disillusioned because we still aren’t gaining. He felt it in the air.
I agree that we aren’t included in the game but I also recognize the state of black union. There is no union.
There is no way that we can demand a fair game if we have 20 million people asking for twenty million different things. It just comes across as chaos and therefore we are easily ignored.
I think one of the biggest problems we have is that we continue to ask for help, assistance… rules to the game. Have you ever been over to a friend’s house and decided to leave when they started cheating just because it’s their game? We should take on that mentality and bring our butts home and play with our own toys.
Wait, let me explain. NO, I’m not talking about some mass move back to Africa. Frankly, I’ve never been to Africa so ‘back’ is an impossibility. I was born and raised here in the United States of America so here is where I’m staying. I’m referring to a mental move back to ‘our spot,’ the place where we find comfort and encouragement.
Here’s my idea. We should stop trying to fit in and spend more time exploring our gifts, the contributions we can add. If we develop our communities, encourage our youth, explore our dreams, expand our minds and cultivate our offerings I promise you that ‘they’ will come. The rules of the game will evolve to include the people who bring lucrative offerings. The rules will change in our favor so that we will feel comfortable enough to play.
But first, we must do something. Individuals, communities, families… We must ALL do something. I would say each one reach one but we are in a place where that is not enough. Each one reach a hundred. Exponential outreach is the only way to go.
Lastly, the marches are played a little but I do see a need for folk to gather together so I’m not going to knock it. But remember this, after every march there is a slight jump in community service but nothing big. We need a big thing done in a big way because we are hurting, y’all… BIG TIME!
Disclaimer: I am in no way discouraging any and all types of interracial relationships (some of my closest friends are white) but I do see a need for more from us in our community. We need to help us as much as possible.
First off, this thought was inspired from remarks from Tavis Smiley on the Tom Joyner Show. He noted that he found that black people are in an anxious, if I may… desperate state. We (black folk) tried to play the game that was set for us by ‘the man’ and now we are disillusioned because we still aren’t gaining. He felt it in the air.
I agree that we aren’t included in the game but I also recognize the state of black union. There is no union.
There is no way that we can demand a fair game if we have 20 million people asking for twenty million different things. It just comes across as chaos and therefore we are easily ignored.
I think one of the biggest problems we have is that we continue to ask for help, assistance… rules to the game. Have you ever been over to a friend’s house and decided to leave when they started cheating just because it’s their game? We should take on that mentality and bring our butts home and play with our own toys.
Wait, let me explain. NO, I’m not talking about some mass move back to Africa. Frankly, I’ve never been to Africa so ‘back’ is an impossibility. I was born and raised here in the United States of America so here is where I’m staying. I’m referring to a mental move back to ‘our spot,’ the place where we find comfort and encouragement.
Here’s my idea. We should stop trying to fit in and spend more time exploring our gifts, the contributions we can add. If we develop our communities, encourage our youth, explore our dreams, expand our minds and cultivate our offerings I promise you that ‘they’ will come. The rules of the game will evolve to include the people who bring lucrative offerings. The rules will change in our favor so that we will feel comfortable enough to play.
But first, we must do something. Individuals, communities, families… We must ALL do something. I would say each one reach one but we are in a place where that is not enough. Each one reach a hundred. Exponential outreach is the only way to go.
Lastly, the marches are played a little but I do see a need for folk to gather together so I’m not going to knock it. But remember this, after every march there is a slight jump in community service but nothing big. We need a big thing done in a big way because we are hurting, y’all… BIG TIME!
Disclaimer: I am in no way discouraging any and all types of interracial relationships (some of my closest friends are white) but I do see a need for more from us in our community. We need to help us as much as possible.
posted by Jay | 9:47 AM
2 comments:
Dude, question: Why did you put up a disclaimer? I'm asking because I was talking about some white folk yesterday on my blog, and I think a white person took offense to the Toledo story about Nazis. I am wondering whether I should post a disclaimer to keep my white audience, or should I address her comment (to her or in the comments) or just ignore the whole thing? Because it IS my blog, not written for them but for me--and US! So I was wondering what motivated you to put your disclaimer up. I really don't want to alienate people, but don't want to be apologetic either. Please help! I need your excellent fair advice!
Tish
I added the disclaimer because I am always mindful of the misconceptions that are jumped on when I make comments on topics not necessarily considered PC.
I am aware that these misconceptions can distract the reader from my original intent/purpose for making the statement so I write the disclaimer to ease the mind and hopefully get my point across without too many questions floating around.
Fair enough? lol
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