Black America’s Legacy of Struggle – Keeping it Real

Effective political struggle is not some kind of knee jerk reaction to oppression. Rather, it is an ongoing, collective, and consciously dialectical process wherein thought, planning, action and specific goal-oriented accomplishments (however large or small) are important measurable and integral components. As I discussed on Sirius Satellite Radio’s November 15th, 2007, “Make It Plain” program with host Mark Thompson: “Serious and effective political struggle is not about simply meeting ‘once a year or so’ to – plan the next planning meeting in order to discuss planning the next meeting — in order to plan for the following year’s meeting.” Such activities are tantamount to a pet hamster endlessly running on a caged and spinning mechanical wheel, going nowhere. Ours must be the tactics and strategies of effective political struggle, not intellectual masturbation.

We Black Americans — descendants of the noble, magnificent and long suffering slaves who built what became known as the United States of America — did not come here as willing immigrants, or as refugees from oppression, intent upon building a better life in this land of the slave and home of hypocrisy and genocide. No, our ancestors were brought here by force under the most despicable and unspeakable conditions, as human chattel stripped of even the most basic of human rights. To this very day we continue to be dehumanized and disenfranchised by a hypocritical and avaricious white American society and system (be it so-called liberal or conservative), intent upon maintaining its privilege at all cost. This, unfortunately, is something that even some modern-day actual immigrants from Africa to America have yet to understand, respect, or come to grips with, regarding Black Americans. Proud descendants of Mother Africa that we unequivocally are, we are nonetheless Black Americans who have paid our dues on this stolen land over and over and over again. Our is a struggle, not only for ourselves, but for humanity as a whole.