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The black liberation struggle and Black Arts movement of the 1960s and 70s marked a period of social reform and advancement in the African American community.
Led by political leaders and artists like Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni, this movement radiates the biblical notion that the least of us may be used in efforts to effect great change.
While the discourse of the movement communicated extreme dissatisfaction in the African American community with social and political inequalities, the movement was a response to the utter disregard of the inalienable rights of black people by white America.
Resulting in small gains, the Black arts movement encouraged a culture of political and socially conscious productions, fashioned with the purpose to give “power to the people.”
Yet, I assert that the power gained during this time was not enough to help us obtain resources and a quality of life equal to that of white hegemony.
Now, in 2010, blacks are still in the back of the bus and there are a number of reasons why we will remain there, lest we move toward change.
Statistical information on educational achievement continuously shows a large performance gap between whites and blacks.
We, more privileged blacks, allow our less fortunate brothers and sisters to complacently accept food stamps and Work First checks as suitable forms of income, by our unwillingness to educate and motivate them on better ways of living and obtaining greater social and economic status.
Furthermore, our culture would rather encourage black youth to accept ADHD and other behavioral disabilities as life-long inhibitors, masking fears of failure, as opposed to teaching a child discipline, and encouraging one to make strides toward realizing the truths of their biggest dreams.
We need a new movement, yet the current state of African-American culture and society is too divided to support a successful effort.
Some declare that “We do not have leaders.” Others assert that “There have been no catastrophic events of a large enough caliber to ignite a movement.”
I posit that we have ignored all opportunities to move toward change, and for this reason we cannot bemoan the position of “our people” because much of the fault is ours.
Currently, there are several different classes of black people, and those class divisions keep us from talking to, or sharing with, one another.
We who are better informed politically and better off economically, continuously ignore the plight of our people who continue to struggle.
Even we students of NCCU are afraid to venture into the wilderness of our backyard, and make efforts to understand the plights of our people in the projects.
We are afraid to take sides during local or national conflict for fear of how our opinions might affect our social status or our personal favor in white American society. But let us not permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.
Instead, let us “cast down our buckets where we are,” and continue to preach the philosophies of our leaders who have already given us blueprints to success.
Receive this piece as a call to action — all who are fortunate enough to live comfortably in a society that does not welcome them wholeheartedly. Stand up.
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