BlackEconomics.org®
Introduction
To know, to know fully, implies that correct action is possible in response to what is known.
In Black America’s case, there is widespread and general knowledge of our “condition”—statistics even—on many fronts. This “knowledge” begs the question: Why do we not do more to improve our condition? The latter question sheds light on the fact that we may not comprehend the context fully. If we comprehended fully—i.e., had full knowledge of—the context of our situation and condition, then we might not ask the question because the answer is transparent for those who have more knowledge and comprehend our context more completely.
Our Condition
Let us now revisit as a reminder a few key statistics that characterize our condition on a comparative basis with the nation at large. Consider Table 1.
The foregoing is taste enough of our comparative condition to cause us to ask not how we got to these positions, but what are we going to do about it? In other words, let us not focus on the history (although we should certainly be steeped in it), and let us not discuss the physical abuse and racial discrimination that kept us there (although the “facts” are now recorded in so many scholarly volumes, reports, and Reparations documents/studies—and increasingly so). No, let us begin to ask: (1) Why have we not taken more action to improve our condition? and (2) How do we move expeditiously to improve our condition?
Our Context
Why have we not done more for ourselves? We must first acknowledge that Black Americans have done much to improve our condition. But certainly not enough. Why have we not done more?
- Pride and fear of physical and economic injury. Our epigenetics reflect the history of what happened to those who acted boldly to improve outcomes for Black Americans. Also, consider what transpired recently with “Ye” (aka, Kanye West) and “Puff Daddy” (Sean Combs) when they sought to take favorable action on behalf of Black Americans.(ix)
- We are programmed by our cultural capital, everyday occurrences, and by the media to accept, even cherish, our condition.(x)
- Certain Black American “leaders” do not have our best interest at heart. They do not function as our fiduciaries. Rather, they are self-interested and optimize their own wellbeing.
- Until July 2023, Black America had no explicit and detailed long-term strategic plan that could ensure a sustained, long-term effort that is required to transform our condition and place us in a desired state.(xi)
- In large measure, Black America resides under the control of local authorities whose will is imposed by police. Despite abundant proclamations to the contrary, Line 8 of Table 1 hints that we exist in an undeclared police-state.
- Our environment is designed to motivate us to pursue a life of over consumption, which requires continuous employment in support of that consumption. In that context, we may conclude that we do not have time, material, or financial resources to engage in efforts to improve outcomes for Black Americans.
Changing our Context and our Condition
How can we expedite our required transformation?
- Plan to operationalize the following formula during efforts to materialize the transformation: Success = Correct Knowledge (what, how, when, and where to do) + Faith (Imani) + Persistent and Continuous Work (Kazi) + Enduring Patience.
- Engage the existing Long-Term Strategic Plan for Black America (LTSPFBA) and join efforts to implement it.
- Key elements of the early implementation phase of the LTSPFBA include:
- Evolve a new, or network existing, Black-American owned and controlled communications platforms that can reach all Black Americans.
- Employ the communications platform to replace existing “junk platforms” (much of social and formal media) and to motivate:
- Continuous efforts to inform all Black Americans about the plan, especially our youth.
- A remaking/renewal of Black Americans’ minds to comprehend our context and the importance of proper implementation of the LTSPFBA.
- An erasure of our false pride and fear (physical and economic).
- A forging of increased unity.
- An unwinding of the programmed mental acceptance of second-class citizenship or worse.
- A reimagining of our leadership as a group function without individual icons with veto power.
- Efforts to capture our fair share of financial and material resources (locally and nationally) so that we can reduce our contact with offending parties, who will never accept us fully nor act in our best interest unless it is in their best interest.
- A strong and persistent push for Reparations and the evolution of a plan that identifies its most favorable forms and uses.
- A turn inward, while maintaining external contacts to sustain ourselves until such external involvement (dependency) is reduced substantially.
- A vigilant, yet distant view of external developments/activities to ensure against being blindsided by external events.
- A continuous, but restricted engagement with Africa, the Afrodescendant Diaspora, and the remainder of the world.
We believe that this type of logical action plan is already imbedded in the hearts and minds of Black Americans all over the US. However, purposeful, persistent, and unified action to create change does not occur because we are not motivated sufficiently and/or we believe (incorrectly) that we do not have (as already discussed) the time, material, and/or financial resources to act.
Motivating Change
We should use the above-described communications platform to urge those who have an abundance of human capital, time, and other resources (especially those in life’s “early” or “late” “waiting rooms”) to act.(xii) On the other hand, Black America may have no choice but to act as outlined above. Current uncertainty, domestically and internationally, could produce conditions that force us to act. If not unilaterally, then others’ actions could engender action on our part. It is always wise to “prepare for war in times of peace.”
Although you may not comprehend context fully now, certainly you were invited to reconsider, broaden, and deepen your comprehension of Black America’s context, our current condition, why it exists and persists, and prospective actions to improve our condition. If there are egregious errors and/or omissions in this analysis brief, then please inform us accordingly.
B Robinson
©060724
i Gloria Guzman and Meliss Kollar (2023). “Table A-2 Households by Total Money Income, Race, and Hispanic Origin of Householders: 1967 to 2022.” Income in the United States: 2022. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-279.pdf (Ret. 041324)
ii Aladangady, A., et al. (2023). “Changes in US family finances from 2019 to 2022: Evidence from the survey of consumer finances.” Washington: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, October, https://doi.org/10.17016/8799 (Ret. 060624).
iii Census Bureau (2024). “Table 7. “Homeownership Rates by Race and Ethnicity of Householder, 2020 to 2024.” Quarterly Residential Vacancies and Homeownership, First Quarter 2024. U.S. Department of Commerce. https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/files/currenthvspress.pdf (Ret. 060624).
iv Paul Hemez, Chanell Washington, and Rose Kreider (2024). America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2022. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p20-587.pdf (Ret. 060624).
v National Center for Education Statistics (2022). “Table 104.40. Percentage of persons 18 to 24 years old and 25 years old and over, by educational attainment, race/ethnicity, and selected racial/ethnic subgroups: 2012 and 2022.” Digest of Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/current_tables.asp (Ret. 060624).
vi Ibid.
vii Census Bureau (2023). NESD – Statistics for employer and nonemployer firms: 2020 Tables. US Department of Commerce. AB2000NESD01: Nonemployer … – Census Bureau Table (Ret. 060624).
viii E. Ann Carson (2020). “Table 5 Imprisonment rates of U.S. residents, based on sentenced prisoners under the jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authorities, by jurisdiction, sex, and race or ethnicity, 2010-2020.” Prisoners in 2020 Statistical Tables. Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/p20st.pdf (Ret. 060624).
ix In 2022, Ye, inter alia, made an appeal for opening and reviewing all contracts of Black entertainment artists, who were sources of enormous earnings during their careers, but who died broke, down, and out. He was denigrated, silenced, and made to apologize. We have not been informed concerning any linkages between PDiddy’s old-standing legal troubles that resurfaced recently with a vengeance and his efforts to initiate “Our Black Party.” However, it is important to note that PDiddy was the power (money) behind efforts to build “Our Black Party” starting in 2020. A check of the party’s website in May 2024, revealed that it appears to be defunct (https://www.ourblackparty.org). These statements are not intended to pass judgement or take a position on what are now legal concerns.
x See B. Robinson (2023). “We Get What We Accept.” BlackEconomics.org. Honolulu. https://www.blackeconomics.org/BELit/wgwwa061623.pdf (Ret. 060624).
xi A Long-Term Strategic Plan for Black America was developed during 2022-2023 and was released in July 2023. https://www.ltspfba.org/LTSP/fin_ltspfba_071223.pdf (Ret. 060624). It was the work of a group of Black American grassroots activist. Consult the following Internet website for more details: www.LTSPFBA.org.
xii The “late” “waiting room” concept is discussed in the concluding chapter of Brooks Robinson (2024). Merida Musing, BlackEconomics.org. Honolulu. https://www.blackeconomics.org/BEAP/memu041924.pdf (Ret. 060624). Analogously, by “early” waiting room is intended those youthful Black Americans who have completed their elementary and secondary education, but who have not yet engaged a post-secondary education or work career path, and who have human capital, time, material, or even financial resources to commit. Those in “early” waiting rooms should join the LTSPFBA implementation effort and work vigorously to ensure its success.