How many of us know that the cost of breath here on earth is that we will give something back to those who will come after us? Each of us has a responsibility to leave a legacy once we transition. There are a number of legacies that have influenced where we are as a people, among those that are significant during Black History Month are the legacies of Carter G. Woodson and that left through the Declaration of Independence. Here, I challenge you to consider these and how we can use them to build a society where all citizens are valued.
As a sociologist by training, there are a number of guiding principles that inform my approach to understanding the world. One of those guiding principles is that we have the ability to effectuate social change. I believe that we can create, sustain and change our environments, we are not living in a system where we have no control over what happens. However, these changes only come as we demand them.
“Power concedes nothing without demand. It never has and never will”
Fredrick Douglass (1857)
As early as 1857 the great abolitionist Fredrick Douglass made the above statement. According to Douglass, people who are in positions of power have given up nothing until it was demanded of them. These are the ruminations of one of the greats that still hold true today. Unless the oppressed demand freedom, it will not simply be granted. Consider the history of America, when we decided we no longer wanted to live under the rule of the British, not only did we throw the tea overboard, but we wrote them a letter to explain our discontent and then went on to violently defend the rights identified. This letter is known as the Declaration of Independence. It starts with “When in the course of human events…” and goes on to say:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the people to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
United States Declaration of Independence (1776)
Let’s interrogate this. The Creator has given us rights that cannot be taken away or denied: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. In order to make sure that we maintain these rights, we create governments – who only have power because we give it to them. That’s right the people have given elected officials power to make sure that our rights are secured. Now, catch this part – according to this document if we have a government that does not ensure these things, as a people we have the right to ABOLISH IT! Go back and read that again! Not only can we abolish it but we can insist that a new government be created to protect our safety and happiness.
Now this was great language when it came to the American colonies telling the British that taxation without representation was not working for us. However, many Americans have a problem with this when we talk about Black folk. When Black people, who have been clearly marginalized and persecuted, start to say ‘this is not working for us’; when we say we need a new government that will secure our rights, we are seen as terrorists, as un-American.
Many may believe that Black people in American are not an aggrieved population and their rights are not being violated. In all honesty, no one is trying to hide this information, it is everywhere. More recently Michelle Alexander brought these issues to the forefront in her book “The New Jim Crow.” In the interest of time, I will limit my observation to the discussion of the ‘War on Drugs.’ According to the CDC National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2017) 12% of whites and 13% of Blacks use illicit drugs. However, the FBI Uniform Crime Report (2017) indicate that 27% of those arrested for drug possession are Black. In 2014, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that sentences imposed on Black males in the federal system are 20% longer than those imposed on white males.
So what he have here is data that indicates that Blacks and whites use illicit drugs at about the same rate. However, Blacks are more likely to be arrested for said drug use and when arrested they are likely to serve a longer term. This is a problem! A structural problem, not an individual problem. The rules are being unfairly applied, additionally what this means is that we cannot look for the solution to this problem by fixing people. So, stop telling Black people to pull up their pants, stop using slang, fix their hair, take care of their kids and to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The solution is not in fixing the people, but in fixing the structure.
The question then becomes how do we fix the structure with individual effort? Let us look to Dr. Woodson, the father of Black History for direction. In 1915, Woodson participated in a national celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. He hosted an exhibit to discuss the progress of Black people since the destruction of slavery. There was such interest in his work that an overflow of six to twelve thousand people waited outside for their turn to view his exhibit. He was so inspired by the turnout that he knew he needed to do more, hence the creation of Black History Week. Central to Woodson’s belief is the idea that “history is made by the people, not simply or primarily by great men.” Rather than focusing on one or two people, the Black community, he believed, should focus on the countless black men and women who had contributed to the advance of human civilization.
I believe that this has been the problem within our community, we have not learned from Woodson’s legacy. We celebrate famous people with “big names.” We all know Obama, Oprah, Beyonce’ and Jay Z. Now I am not taking anything away from the contributions of these people, for they have made major contributions and in some cases serve of examples of those who have risen from poverty to wealth, and we should respect that. But are these the only within our community who should be looked up to and admired? What about Big Mamma, Uncle Jo, and Tee Tee Sarah? What about all of those people who made personal sacrifices so that you could have access? Why do we not celebrate them during Black History Month? This month, my challenge to you is to celebrate our own during Black History Month. Let this year be the year of celebrating our local, hometown, homegrown heroes. In addition, 2021 is the year for you to accept the responsibility to be someone’s hero. See yourself as the one we have been waiting for. Let’s stop waiting on Jesse Jackson, Meek Mill or even Stacey Abrams to save us – You do it.
“Freedom is not given, it is won”
A. Philip Randolph
This freedom that we enjoy was not something that was easily attained. Our ancestors fought for it and we are in a battle now to maintain it. We all have a responsibility to ensure that those coming behind us will benefit from the lives we lived. If you are paying attention you would see that we are in a crisis not of our making.
Environmental racism is rampant, people and government are allowing for the pollution our air, soil and water.
Unemployment among Blacks is double that of whites. According to the National Center for Education Statistics almost twice as many Blacks and 4 times as many Hispanics drop out of high school when compared to whites. We also know that only 42% of Blacks graduate from college compared to 62% of whites. Racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, ageism, various forms of religious persecution run rampant in our society. We are in a state of crisis and you waiting on Jesse.
Now I am not sharing this to discourage you or to scare you but to challenge you. You are our hope. You need to leave the world better than it was when you got here. How do you do that? By embracing your freedom, stop asking people to think for you, personally accepting the responsibility for our community and its development. I want you to follow Fredrick Douglass’ charge to demand that those in power protect the unalienable right of Black people to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
