The enslavement of African people and its deep-seated impact continue to stall the progression of Black people in America and throughout the African world. The monumental task of advancing our peoples’ interest beyond the affects of slavery and colonization requires that we accept a few hard truths to get ahead. In the words of the honorable Marcus Garvey, “If you (Black people) cannot do what other men have done, what other nations have done, what other races have done, then you will have to die!”
1. Color blindness is a disempowering narrative
To teach Black people to not see race in an intrinsically racist society is to disarm our people from properly identifying the threats organizing around them. One key threat that Black people face is global white supremacy and its race-based ideology and institutions.
Psychologist Stephanie Fryberg writes in “When the World Is Colorblind, American Indians Are Invisible: A Diversity Science Approach:”
“In a colorblind world, whites, who are unlikely to experience the negative effects of race, can actively ignore the continued significance of racism in American society, justify the current social order, and feel more comfortable with their relatively privileged standing in society.”
2. We believe we are stronger because we “turn the other cheek”
We are weak, not strong when we align ourselves with the most pacifist verses in the Bible. As one of the most religious groups of people in the world, there is little reason why we remain at the bottom economically and otherwise. The following biblical verse should replace the “turn the other cheek” mentality.
In Luke 22:36 Jesus is quoted: “’But now,” he said, “if you have a wallet or a pack, take it; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your robe to buy one.”
