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Around my cubicle at work, I am surrounded by giants. I’m talking heavyweights of intellect, humanity, civil rights, labor rights, social and cultural enlightenment, and simply put, fighters for revolution. There is no question of commitment when names like Martin L. King Jr., Malcolm X, Ida Wells-Barnett, or Paul Robeson are mentioned. What of the Black leaders of today? When I mention Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Maxine Waters, or Louis Farrakhan, are they thought of in the same revere as the afore mentioned revolutionaries. I’d have to say not.

Our so-called leaders of today are, in a nut shell, bought and paid for, and are actually agents working with this modern system. Case in point, how many so-called leaders do we see with radio and talk shows that say “absolutely nothing” in regards to topics of revolution. What leaders talk of being self-sufficient and independent of a system that has done everything legally and illegally to suppress people of color? And of those leaders, who will offer their plan without an attached invite to join their religious sect? None of them will, as history reflects and our future is revealing. The so-called leaders of today will do what they’re paid to do, pacify the people. Unfortunately, the pay for a pro-Black leader is very low, with a top salary of exile, death threats, or a bullet. (Maybe all three, if they are unwavering)

So who are the leaders? You know them, although the world may not. They are the men and women who speak out against injustice on your job. They are the men and women in your neighborhood fighting for the rights of those who cannot. They are the people who are waist deep in the struggle with you. They know the frustration of unemployment, as well as the pain of illness. They desire the same freedoms, equal rights, and justice that you may desire, but with greater passion. Furthermore, they are willing to say and do the things many of us only wish we could say or do. Why aren’t these future leaders at the forefront of the national and international interests of Africans in America? (I hate the term African-American) It just doesn’t pay to be a real Black leader in this 21st Century.

In all reality, it is we the people who can make or break our leaders. Firstly we shouldn’t let our leaders be picked for us, these individuals who look the part but are really lapdogs for their masters. A leader is driven to expose the wrong being done to his people, because he can feel the suffering from his people. A leader will walk on the road with you no matter how rocky, as compared to the so-called leaders today that’ll walk a few blocks then drive off in an air-conditioned SUV. Africans in America suffer from more poverty, more homelessness, more racism, more disease, and more human-rights injustices than any other people of color that reside on this land. Despite our continual survival, our so-called leaders fail to awaken America’s sleeping giant. We need leaders that’ll recognize our potential, tap into it, and unleash it for the benefit of all Africans.

So I ask any and all Black leaders, what do you stand for: Revolution or Rhetoric?

Carey “Geechie Man” Bryant is a father, community activist and freelance writer in New York, New York. He can be reached via email at [email protected].