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We have to be clear in defining Black Power lest our enemies do it for us. White supremacists will label it racist, and Negroes will believe them. If the black community is confused about the concept of Black Power, it will never become a reality.

In a world where Blacks, people of African descent, have been systematically marginalized, Black Power is a legitimate concept of black self-determination. Self-determination is a hallmark of a truly free people. For people who are truly free, those with a sovereign mindset, self-determination is taken for granted. For them, it doesn’t need to be discussed anymore than the need to inhale and exhale needs to be discussed. They know intuitively that a people locked out of the halls of power and who use a foreign frame of reference to make decisions are not free.

Freedom for any population, especially a historically oppressed minority, means being able to consistently promote and protect its interests. However, power only concedes to power. If Blacks in America and around the world are socioeconomically and politically powerless how then can thy promote and protect their interests?

They can’t.

For too long, compromising and naively attempting to use moral suasion on a people who have shown themselves to be psychopathic where Blacks are concerned, has only led to worsening conditions for Blacks all around the world. Only a people capable of negotiating from a position of strength can influence and shape the society they live in so that it benefits them. The Black Power paradigm suggests that those of us of African descent must close ranks, reestablish a sense of community, organize and reject the racist, ‘classist’ and imperialist ideas of the dominant society.

Black Power simply means self-determination. It has to be discussed because the Eurocentric frame of reference inculcated into black people from birth blinds them to the larger picture: The universal exploitation of African people all around the world. It –self-determination– must also be discussed in racial terms for the simple fact that African people have historically and currentlly been oppressed, suppressed and exploited along racial lines. Class oppression across racial lines in no way invalidates or supplants the reality of race-based oppression. Just because whites are evil to their own kind (which they always have been), doesn’t mean racism is a thing of the past or that it isn’t just as prevalent amongst poor whites.

Self-determination simply means the freedom of a people to think for themselves and to act in ways they deem beneficial to themselves; and freedom from external compulsion be it by force or indoctrination.

With all of the organizations in the black community suppossedly there to address its problems, its a wonder these problems haven’t been resolved by now. Most of these groups, big and small, are fake. They only exist for the benefit of their leaders. These charlatans build up a loyal following, make some money and gain some fame, yet the problems affecting our communities persist. These types of organizations need to be identified and squeezed out of existence.

Other organizations are ineffective because of their internal weaknesses. Although they mean well, weak leadership is at the heart of their problems. Leaders are responsible for setting the example, planning, directing, organizing and motivating the members of their organizations. These tasks are accomplished in a variety of ways which I will cover in future posts.

The collective effect of all these ineffective groups is the waste of revolutionary energy. When young people come of age, they begin to see the world for what it really is and they don’t like what they see. They want to change the world; be a part of something greater than themselves. They join a group that promises to be a change agent, and pour their heart and soul into helping the group achieve its stated objectives. They soon find themselves paying dues,attending lectures and haranguing anyone who’ll listen. But nothing changes. Their enthusiasm wanes, they become disillusioned with the group and eventually leave the struggle altogether.

How about we expose the fakers and roll the rest into a single entity capable of actually affecting change in the community?

Conscientious brothers and sisters are caught up in the daily grind: Working, paying bills, going to school and raising children.  Like everyone else, they watch the black community go to hell. Homes are so broken that millions of black children grow up with one parent or no parents. Many of our children are not completing high school, and of those who do, many still have trouble with basic skills like reading, writing and math. Our communities are also troubled by crime, drug addiction, prostitution and sell-out politicians who don’t promote our interests.

This is the place for us to put all of the issues on the table with a view towards actually solving the problems through action and activism. Make your voice heard.