by A. Peter Bailey
(Trice Edney Wire) – An admittedly way too small number of Black people in the USA strongly believe that we put ourselves in ongoing cultural, economic and political danger by not being more unified. Those who don’t believe in the urgent need for strong Black unity should understand that their position bears responsibility for some of the negative and hostile actions taking place today. Three recent columns in The Washington Informer newspaper will help to explain this position.
The first one, written by Marc H. Morial, is entitled “Discriminatory Laws Have Driven Black Voters From The Polls.” In it he states that “…. since 2020, at least twenty-nine states have passed nearly one hundred laws making it harder for eligible citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote.”
Another column, attributed to the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC) noted the following: “As of last week GSA Administrator (Robin) Camahan has ignored the March 18, 2024, request for the meeting to discuss accelerated deliverables to remedy the continuous discrimination against Black American contractors in federal contracting…”
Equally notable is a column entitled, “The Battle Over Social Security” by David W. Marshall. It includes his belief that “Social security is especially important to people of color because they are less likely than white Americans to have pensions or retirement savings. As a result social security is the sole source of retirement income for 33% of Blacks compared to 18% whites based on a National Association of Insurance study….”
In each of the conditions above and numerous others, a unified Black people would be in a much better position to protect ourselves from the actions of hostile or paternalistic white folks. Because our refusal to become more unified, we share at least some of the responsibility for what is happening to most of us in this country today. Black unity is not an option; it is an absolute necessity if we want to be in a strong position to protect and promote our health, economic, cultural, political, educational, and technological interests.
