The levels of ignorance in the Black community are at all time highs, but the systems that need to be in place are not. As I sit on my balcony in west baltimore, the sounds ring out. Sounds of drunken mothers cursing with their kids, as well as other peoples kids near by. Homosexuals trotting around attempting to sound & act like women. Men (young & old) & boys bragging about the "bitches" they've "fucked" lately. Other men & boys using code to relay messages about the dope they are selling. No talk of community organization. No talk of cleaning up the trash that fills the ally ways after trash day, cause the garbage men don't cleanup what they spill & the infestation of abandoned cats breaking into the bags or why people should use real trash bags & not grocery bags. No talk of why 1 family a black man & his white wife; own the majority of homes in 2 adjacent square blocks. No1 is talking about why most people are renting their homes & not owning them. The sounds are loud but they are off topic, as they do not pertain to the issues that matter. The ignorance is obvious & the system at play has a once proud people, degrading themselves with no sense of the evolving world around them.
Baltimore doesn't have the excuse some communities in other cities have. Baltimore is a majority black city (65-72%) though that number is shrinking (once 85%) due to incarceration rates, influx of hispanics, & re-migration of whites to city centers. But for a long time blacks have controlled the politics, been the consumer base so they could have controlled the economics, & they were (are) the majority of teachers. Sure, the state hates baltimore because of its demographics, but the people here had the power to hold them accountable. Tupac said it best when he called baltimore the most ignorant place in the world.
Baltimore is the extreme, but I am well traveled & I can tell you, the rest of "black america" is not far behind. The problem is not limited to the poor blacks; its an ignorance in the middle as well. The middle class much like lower class is obsessed with consumerism. The spend to give the appearance of equality, they want you to think they are equal with "middle america". The middle also props up these churches; who take up space in poor communities that could have a better use & money that could be better spent. The black church is another thorn in the side of black progress. These institutions have been around since before our ancestors could walk around & claim to be free, with nothing to show for it. We could get into the wealthy blacks, but they are where they are mostly due to an exceptance of culture degradation. What are we gonna do about these 3 main sections & their systems.
The 1st thing we can do is be realistic. Most black people are fucked; yes, royally in fact. The are dumped down to a point of no return. This is some of your friends & family, but heres a metaphor; don't die in a burning house trying to save people that don't think its really on fire. But if you've come to the conclusion I have then you should link with like minded pan africans & begin to invest in the change you want. Start cleaning up your community, start holding meetings about transitioning from renting to owning. Use the net to interact with people on the mother continent & around the diaspora to take about trading & information sharing. Me personally I'm looking to start an investment club; locally 1st, then branching out. Be must begin to set the tone for real change, some will get on board, many will not, but we have an obligation to our kids, ourselves, & those that came before to return to greatness & reject ignorance. The systems we put in place will determine the sound of future generations.
