Black People : What Black Folks Should Do Now

n2deepthings06

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Feb 19, 2007
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A few years ago the late author Ralph Wiley wrote a book tilted

What Black Folks Should Do Now?

So much emphasis is put on trying to figure out how to make white folk like us, how to get them to change, how the “white man” is doing this, and doing that….what about emphasis on our own empowerment?

What about choices that we make that can both individually and as a collective elevate us? I firmly believe that the black collective has become so engrossed in Eurocentric “greatness” culture, mores and values, and history that we have become a lost tribe, with no way out and no reference to our own greatness, culture, mores, values, and history. We operate out of a system of helplessness, and powerlessness. Part of our issue is that we don’t realize the power that we possess. We hear talk of the power of the black dollar – in our spending choices we empower the white power structure, and dis-empower us, but saddling ourselves with debt.

So what do Black folks need to do now?​

Develop Courage:
We speak ad nauseam about we need to vote because “so many of our ancestors died” to get us the right. Newsflash: The courage of our ancestors didn’t stop and start with voting rights. They didn’t die to for their sons and daughters to become to dishonor them mind body and soul. They didn’t die for their sons and daughters to be court jesters, and minstrels. They didn’t die so that their sons and daughters would angels of death to our own community. Our ancestors lost tongues because they wanted to speak their native language, hands were cut off because they wanted to drum to maintain a connection to the continent. Can we develop the courage of our ancestors to begin to reduce our spiritual, emotional, and mental dependency on Eurocentric cultures and traditions? This doesn’t mean we need to be “Mr. Broke Conscious brotha” who has can quote Amos Wilson, or the Metu Neter, brag on being a vegan, but can’t keep a steady job. Jesus said “render unto Caesar what is his”. We need to learn to function in this culture, earn a living, be responsible for our children, families, and communities, but do it in away that doesn’t bring about dis-ease, and spiritual death.

So what do Black folks need to do now?

Be in America but not of America:
Develop tools that will allow us to function in this death riddled culture in a manner that embraces life and abundance, instead of operating in a manner that embraces death, and the illusion of lack.

What should Black folks do now?​

Sit Christmas out (and many other Eurocentric holidays)

Is there really a rationale behind going into massive debt for a holiday not of our making? A An alternative could be either
Adopt either a $100.00 limit or
Limit gifts to something you make or cook.
Lead by example by lowering household expectations re Christmas gifts.

So what do Black folks need to do now?

Change the Channel
Tune out from the usual media outlets Clear channel outlets, BET, which offer radio versions of black minstrel shows, and listen perhaps tune in to NPR, and PBS or other more thought provoking outlets. These outlets often provide insightful thought provoking African American centered programming.

So what do Black folks need to do now?​

Change the Channel part II
We download spiritual messages interpreted by others every Sunday, how bout downloading spiritual messages directly from the source…perhaps instead of Sunday church perhaps quiet meditation, yoga, a peaceful walk and plugging in directly to the source. We said what would Jesus do? Often Jesus spent quiet time in meditation, not in loud distracting, performance riddled sermons. If silence and solitude worked for Jesus why not you?

So what do Black folks need to do now?

Change the Channel part III
Pick a day perhaps two where there is no computer on, nor television, radio. Replace those distractions with a family game night, family discussions, reading or an outing.

So what do Black folks need to do now?

You are what you eat
Instead of resigning to the statistics that black people are predisposed for strokes, heart attack, some cancers, change your diet. The excuse it cost more gets more indefensible when comparing the cost of prescription drugs and health care that are becoming a national crisis.

So what do Black folks need to do now?​

Engage our children
We need to go beyond merely checking homework, engage your child, ask questions, and find out what’s on their mind. Discuss what happened in school, stay plugged into their culture speak to them on their terms. Parents must engage with their children to compete with outside influences. Prepare them for adulthood, engage them with your adult decision making process, as opposed to saying this is how it is.

So what do Black folks need to do now?​

Readers become leaders
The late Tupac Shakur read vociferously, his lyrics were a reflection of that. So are Barrack Obama and Oprah Winfrey. Reading expands your world, opens up new ideas, concepts, and points of view. Encourage your children to read, read everything, and read often.

So what do Black folks need to do now?​

Be a Credit Killer
Teach your children the dangers of debt; lead by example, help them avoid the blandishments of the credit industry.

So what do Black folks need to do now?​


Make our “leaders” and institutions accountable

We can’t continue to support and apologize for crack using politicians, for school boards that are dysfunctional, organizations that are black on the outside but are mere front for others agendas, or media outlets that promote black tomfoolery, and ministers who spend their time pimping their congregations, and often living double scandalous lives.

So what do Black folks need to do now?​

Conclusion:
This culture is debt ridden, obese, unhealthy, lacking the ability to critically think (a critically thinking nation would never elected George Bush President). We live in Rome, but there is a point of diminishing returns when we embrace the Roman Culture at the expense of our own. In 2007 we are at that point. Unless we as a collective begin to understand how to live in a culture of death, and not die along with it, we will perish - the death will first come in the form of spiritual death, and soon to follow is emotional and mental death, then physical death. At this stage many are already, walking dead. Chose life!
 
very good thank you

:bullseye:
n2deepthings06 said:
A few years ago the late author Ralph Wiley wrote a book tilted

What Black Folks Should Do Now?


So much emphasis is put on trying to figure out how to make white folk like us, how to get them to change, how the “white man” is doing this, and doing that….what about emphasis on our own empowerment?

What about choices that we make that can both individually and as a collective elevate us? I firmly believe that the black collective has become so engrossed in Eurocentric culture, ways, mores and values that we have become a lost tribe, with no way out. Part of our issue is that we don’t realize the power that we possess. We hear talk of the power of the black dollar – in our spending choices we empower the white power structure, and dis-empower us, but saddling ourselves with debt.

This culture is debt ridden, obese, unhealthy, lacking the ability to critically think (a critically thinking nation would never elected George Bush President). We live in Rome, but there is a point of diminishing returns when we embrace the Roman Culture at the expense of our own. In 2007 we are at that point. Unless we as a collective begin to understand how to live in a culture of death, and not die along with it, we will perish - the death will first come in the form of spiritual death, and soon to follow is emotional and mental death, then physical death. At this stage many are already, walking dead.

So what do Black folks need to do now?​

Learn to be in America but not of America:
Develop tools that will allow us to function in this death riddled culture in a manner that embraces life.

Develop Courage:
We speak ad nauseam about we need to vote because so many of our ancestors died to get us the right, well the courage of our ancestors didn’t stop and start with voting rights. They didn’t die to for their sons and daughters to dishonor them mind body and soul. Our ancestors lost tongues because they wanted to speak their native language, hands were cut off because they wanted to drum to maintain a connection to the continent. Can we develop the courage of our ancestors to begin to reduce our spiritual, emotional, and mental dependency on Eurocentric cultures and traditions? This doesn’t mean we need to be conscious and broke. Jesus said “render unto Caesar what is his”. We need to learn to function in this culture, earn a living, be responsible for our children, families, and communities, but do it in away that doesn’t bring about dis-ease, and spiritual death.

What should Black folks do now?​

Sit Christmas out (and many other Eurocentric holidays)
Is there really a rationale behind going into massive debt for a holiday not of our making? A An alternative could be either
Adopt either a $100.00 limit or
Limit gifts to something you make or cook.
Lead by example by lowering household expectations re Christmas gifts.

Change the Channel
Tune out from the usual media outlets Clear channel outlets, BET, which offer radio versions of black minstrel shows, and listen perhaps tune in to NPR, and PBS or other more thought provoking outlets.

Change the Channel part II
We download spiritual messages interpreted by others every Sunday, how bout downloading spiritual messages directly from the source…perhaps instead of Sunday church perhaps quiet meditation, yoga, a peaceful walk and plugging in directly to the source. We said what would Jesus do? Often Jesus spent quiet time in meditation, not in loud distracting, performance riddled sermons. If silence and solitude worked for Jesus why not you?

Change the Channel part III
Pick a day perhaps two where there is no computer, nor television, radio. Replace those distractions with a family game night, family discussions, or reading.

You are what you eat:
Instead of resigning to the statistics that black people are predisposed for strokes, heart attack, some cancers, change your diet. The excuse it cost more gets more indefensible when comparing the cost of prescription drugs and health care that are becoming a national crisis.

Engage our children
We need to go beyond merely checking homework, engage your child, ask questions, and find out what’s on their mind. Discuss what happened in school, stay plugged into their culture speak to them on their terms. Parents must engage with their children to compete with outside influences. Prepare them for adulthood, engage them with your adult decision making process, as opposed to saying this is how it is.

Make our “leaders” and institutions accountable
We can’t continue to and support and apologize for crack using politicians, for school boards that are dysfunctional, for media outlets that promote black tomfoolery, ministers who spend their time pimping their congregations, and often living double scandalous lives.

thank you
 
In as much as that was a good thread, perhaps one of the first things people need is to recognize and utilize their own power. Why do I say this? I say this because the average black person actually thinks and feels powerless in terms of what they have the ability to do and change. So many of our people feel that uit is the government that is ALL POWERFUL, or the school system is ALL POWERFUL...or the politicians are ALL POWERFUL...and that they have little that they can do about it or to change it.

This is the initial problem. The people do not know that they HAVE CONTROL ! To have a politician in office who is not doing their job, we can take him out of office. We can make the schools and the boards ACCOUNTABLE TO US instead of acting and thinking like; "oh well, that's how the system is, what can we do?" I mean, when you really look at it, the average black person thinks and feels powerless and as such, the very thought of "rocking the boat" for the better doesn't even enter our minds. So in essence the majority of our people are mentally disenfranchised, mentally bankrupt and mentally stressed out to the point of almost sheer APATHY.

We even have the power to control what's being shown on the television and do not know or use it. Let me give an example of what I'm saying.

School children go to school and it's a fashion show. They got designer this and that. They go with their bling bling ropes, ear-rings and everything to boot. What is the result of this? Everything is cause and Effect and we have to recognize it.

A. Now we know who got and who don't, or who can afford and who can't.
B. Now we have peer-group (gang) seperations going on based upon the externals of who's cool and who ain't...who got it goin on and who don't.
C. So what happens in class? Well instead of studying or learning, Rahim or Katisha can't get over how fly they each look to each other...and I think you get the picture.

Parents can demand that their children go to school in uniforms where they all look the same. No ear-rings, no bling allowed. You don't know who is rich or poor. Katisha and Rahim look just like everybody else in there.

I never had no book bags when I was in school, so why do they allow it now? Then they got the nerve to worry about guns being brought in...and why the cell phones and I-pods in school? The same ones that have video games, video downloads, computer on-line abilities and everything else...and then we wonder where their concentration is going. Why are they allowed in school? I know we can come up with a thousand excuses as to why our child must have a cell phone but it's really moot.

If there's an emergency at home, parents can call the school just like they did back in the day. If there's an emergency where a child needs to reach their parents, they need a school emergency phone system just for that purpose. You see, the point is that; "A lot of what's going on does not have to be. We need to dictate the pace instead of allowing the pace to dictate us. this we can not and will not do in our present state of thinking and feeling powerless.

So in conclusion I state; "If we really want to change the condition of a people we must change the condition of their thinking, for no action is ever done without a thought or lack of thought behind it". We have the POWER, now it's time to exercise it !!!
 

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