Published: January 18, 2007 12:00 am            

Fight not over for black Americans

What will it take for black people to stand up against centuries of unfairness and mistreatment? I know we are tough and can take a lot of abuse, but come on brothers and sisters, we don’t have to continue proving our toughness by submitting to and even participating in the destruction of our people. Have we not been hurt severely enough? Are we still waiting for the crucial blow that will finally make us fight back? Well, the longer we wait the less effective we become and the smaller and more insignificant we become as well. Every other group is doing its thing by building wealth for themselves. We black people are busy melting away, soon to become invisible and a non-people without an economic foundation.

We are engaged in silly discussions about Democrats and Republicans, as if we have any say in what happens politically in this country and as if the rulers of these parties care about what we think. They put us in politically trick bags by inviting us to their parties and allowing us to run for office only after we have pledged allegiance to one party or the other, again, as if that means anything in terms of real political power for black folks.

Some of our black politicians are so afraid of offending their white handlers that they never put forth an agenda that is pro-black. In some cases they are even ashamed to be black. They seek our votes and move into their plush secure political offices, while we melt away in a society that has two things on its mind: money and power.

The silly black electorate goes along with these do-nothing politicians, both black and white, by falling into the trap of endless and mindless dialogues about issues that mean absolutely nothing when it comes to the economic well-being of black people. We engage in highbrow political conversations, again, as if our rhetoric will change things and as if we have real political power in the first place.

We wrap ourselves in the agendas of others and subvert our own interests for the silliest and flimsiest reasons.

To all of you black, right wing, religious zealots, all of you empty-headed political pundits and especially you wannabe political office holders: The immigration issue has been reduced to discussions about black people disliking Latinos. How silly is that? This issue is about black people loving ourselves enough to stand up for our own rights, which have been trampled not only by the establishment but by other groups that have come to this country. They walk on the legacy left by our fore-parents who suffered and died to get their “rights,” as we silently do our best Stepin Fetchit impression and move to the end of the line — once again.

Here’s the deal black folks, and I do mean “black folks.” You cannot allow these shallow-minded, unconscious, conniving, political hacks and “mis-leaders” to cause the destruction of the black race. We have made mistakes by trying to assimilate, by trying to make others love us and by buying into the minority game. We are suffering the consequences of silly political slogans and disingenuous politicians who want to be black only when is come to getting the black vote. That is our fault and nobody else’s.

I know that some blacks will feel hurt by this truth. We, who are not in that number, at least have a responsibility to help.

Yes, some of us think we have arrived. I’m here to tell you that the fight ain’t over. I plead with you, “Get off the fence, get in the ring, the fight ain’t over.”



Bob McGlothin

Meridian

        

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