African American people should do business
with each other during the Kwanzaa season and continue this practice
throughout the year.Kwanzaa is an African in America
celebration based on African agricultural/harvest celebrations and
collective
principles which contribute to the unity and development our community
in the United States.
This
is the 46th anniversary of Kwanzaa and the 43rd year of its
celebration
in Chicago.
Kwanzaa was created to
introduce African
people in America
to new values. Kwanzaa is a seven day celebration that is held from
December 26
to January 1. These new values are called the Nguzo Saba or
the seven
principles of Blackness, that “if practiced would give them (us) a set
of
priorities and commitments which would enhance their (our) human
possibilities
and lead to their (our) liberation and a higher level of human life.”
The United States economy is
suffering
from the white supremacy arrogance of centuries of brutal exploitation
of the
world’s resources and its people.
This era of United States history demands that
African people in America
place a greater degree of emphasis on our collective economic
salvation. Once
again, the old truth that “Black people are the last hired and the
first fired,”
is surfacing itself throughout the major employment centers in this
country.
Given this economic
crisis, the Kwanzaa season helps us place the question
of economics on the agenda of our struggle. The eradication of our
economic
slave condition must continue to be a major challenge as we enter the
twenty-first-century.
It cannot be stated enough
that we are far too dependent on Europeans and
Asians for our food,
clothing and shelter.
The principle we
commemorate during the Kwanzaa season that speaks to this issue is Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics).
This
principle encourages African people in America “to build and
maintain our
own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them
together.” On
the fourth day of Kwanzaa, Wednesday, December 29th, this principle is
celebrated.
In this regard, it
is important, once again, to state Malcolm X’s economic philosophy of
Black Nationalism.
Malcolm said:
“We must be re-educated to
the importance of controlling
the economy in which we live by owning and operating the business in
the
community we live in and developing some industry that will employ our
people
so we won’t have to boycott and picket other people in other
communities to get
a job. We must understand the importance of spending money in the
community in
which we live.”
Malcolm went on to say
that, “The
neighborhoods in which you spend your money become richer and richer
and the neighborhoods in which the money is
taken out of becomes
poorer and poorer. This creates slums- all the wealth leaves.”
Finally, speaking on the
topic of
economic philosophy of Black nationalism,
Malcolm
continues by pointing out:
“Even when we try to spend
money in our own community we
don’t. Business is controlled by outsiders who don't live in the
community
because we don't know the importance of owning and operating businesses
ourselves. So money leaves the community in a basket at sundown. We
must
control our own economy.”
One
important activity African American people should practice during the
Kwanzaa
season is doing business with each other, and continue this practice
throughout
the year.
The
Kwanzaa season helps us place the question of economics on the agenda
of our struggle.
In next to the final
chapter of Dr. Chancellor Williams classic
book, The Destruction of Black Civilization, he addresses the
issue
of “Organizing A Race For Action.” Dr. Williams
explains that this organizing for racial action should have as a major
component,
“The Division of Economic Planning and Development.” He explains that:
“The Division of Economic
Planning
and Development should be the foundation of the organized efforts and a
principal source of support and promotion of the most important
activities of
the whole race. A guiding principle should be that all promoted
community
enterprises shall be cooperatively owned and controlled by the people
of the
community and that each enterprise be highly trained management and
competent
service personnel.”
In this
connection, Dr. Williams makes this observation:
“The second great
understanding
should be that economic activities are so fundamental in any truly
upward
movement, so clearly indispensable at this stage in history, that it
should be
unnecessary to state it even.”
If we are ever to
become a free and independent people, we must organize the race for
action.
BlackCommentator.com
Columnist, Conrad W. Worrill, PhD, is the
National Chairman Emeritus of the National Black United Front (NBUF). Click here to contact Dr. Worrill.
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