Black Politics: Black Leaders – Are They Necessary
The fourth and final installment of the Black Politics topic focuses on the Black leadership and its impact on the Black Community.
The 3 Questions
1. Do Black people need a leader?
2. What should the Black leadership and Black Community focus on?
3. Do you consider the current Black leadership effective, why or why not?
FRONT STREET
We have arguably had some of the greatest leaders in the 20th century and benefited immensely from their leadership and sacrifice. However, times have changed and the issues the Black Community faces are not as obvious and transparent. Our biggest enemy is also our biggest ally…Us. Battles over macro issues tied to legalese like voting rights and housing discrimination are still being waged by groups like the NAACP, however, it seems that there are precious few Black leaders that focus on internal issues within Our community that are not tied to policies. An example of this is the notion that darker skin is considered a negative even within the Black Community. Is it possible that Our leaders are contributing to the destruction of the Black Community?
Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked. These question and more will be addressed during the discussion airing on YouTube at 3/03/ 2014. This video was filmed December 15, 2012.
1. Black people do not need a leader because no other race of people have “a” leader. There are leader’s of countries but not leaders of a race. In addition, if we proclaim to have a leader then it makes it easy for opposing parties to take the leader out. Throughout our time in the U.S. this has happened. With no head/leader the body/black masses is dead.
2. The Black leadership and community needs to focus working as a unit. Our problems begin because we do not agree on the method. We spend our wheels on the smaller things instead of focusing on the big picture. This is how the European thinks, they can’t take a thing in its entirety so they break it down into pieces. (mathematics, science, medicine, etc.). We can not think like Europeans to solve our problems. Each of us are leaders. When we recognize that fact then we can get busy working towards a common goal.
3. The current leadership if one is referring to an Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, T.D. Jakes, Russell Simmons or Jay Z type of individual is ineffective. These individuals do not work on the same goal as the black masses. They are working to maintain the status quo. The status quo oppresses the black community and therefore renders their leadership and/or services ineffective.
1. Do Black people need a leader?
No, black people don’t need a (one) leader.
However, I think it’s helpful when there are multiple, highly dedicated, highly knowledgable people who can mobilize the community around very specific issues.
The problem comes when there are no opposing opinions being injected into the conversations/issues. Opposing opinions provide debate – debate evokes passion and passion motivates! Without it, we just become lethargic, non-thinking, self-referencing sheep. Malcolm and Martin are good examples of how opposing opinions around the same issue can motivate people to advance the overall movement.
The other problem is when there is no clear goal or focus (which is the problem with the current so-called Leaders) – when there is no clear goal or focus, we just become reactionary monkeys – picking the petty, irrelevant, low-hanging fruit issues (like getting all fired up over minor instances of racism like someone using the n-word, etc).
The bottom line is that when the general public begins to rely too much on leaders, we become intellectually lazy and easily controlled and we diminish our ability to think critically. This is true of any institution that looks up to one leader (whether it’s a political leader, a religious leader, etc).
2. What should the Black leadership and Black Community focus on?
The Black Family
Black Self Sufficiency & Financial Independence
Holistic Health & Wellness
3. Do you consider the current Black leadership effective and if so why or why not?
No. The so-called Black leaders of today have not advanced beyond the issues of the Civil Rights Movement and don’t seem to have any capacity to deal with the issues of today. Also, they all subscribe to the same general world view so there is no meaningful debate.
1. Do Black people need a leader?
No, Black people don’t need a leader they need several in several different areas. Right now we are either coming off monolithic in our thinking or having a diverging opinion to be counter-cultural to the monolithic stereotype of the Black Community. What we need are several people devoting time and resources back into the community without cameras, without money to be gained, and without fame to be attained. We need people that will tell us the truth about ourselves, not for a political party or to sound like an individual who likes to think of themselves as ahead of the curve but because they legitimately care. When the Civil Rights Movement was at its best there were a plethora of avenues to pursue to solve a problem. You had MLK, Malcolm X, the Black Panther Party, and the Thurgood Marshall’s of the world and not just one guy with a megaphone stirring up the crowd after the latest outrage. Not to say that there is anything wrong with a Jesse or an Al, but we need more than to just bring attention to an issue we have long known. Rather we need to sweat the small stuff. This can be done without media but not without support and not without leaders!
2. What should the Black leadership and Black Community focus on?
Honestly, I read the topics on this website and I feel that all of them apply. Perhaps the most important thing for Black leaders to focus on is the family and community aspect. An example of this is the single parent versus dual parent hosueholds non debate. The idea that it is acceptable to have a single parent household knowing that dual parent households have higher income and their children have a higher chance of going on to have a better life crystalizes the essence of what we are up against in the Black community. Understanding that many of our brothers and sisters were raised in these single parent situations and recognizing that they have in many cases grown up to be productive members of society, should not eliminate the truth, which is that the ideal situation is to have a two parent household. We have to destroy mindsets that have not only been reinforced by other Black people, but American society as well. We have to demand better of ourselves in our households and in our communities.
3. Do you consider the current Black leadership effective and if so why or why not?
I would say that they are not effective basically because they don’t exist. Yes, we have Tavis, and West, and Al, and Jesse, but the one thing that all of these guys have in common is that they are all rich. They all have benefited talking about the struggles of us. They go and write a book about how the poor are suffering and sell it for $25 or they get a TV show talking about the injustices of the world, while they focus on getting renewed for next year. Too many of our spokesmen and women are personally benefiting from our collective problem rather than us collectively trying to benefit by solving it.