By A. Peter Bailey
(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Obviously, White supremacists in this country are being much more open about their beliefs. This means that we Black folks must develop more unity to protect ourselves and our interests. Unfortunately, way too many of us practice what I call excessive “me, myself, and I’ism.” To combat what they are doing, we should learn from and act on guidance from our legendary ancestors/leaders.
For instance, educator Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, included in her will the following, “I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. This kind of confidence will aid the economic rise of the race, by bringing together the pennies and dollars of our people and plowing them into useful channels.”
Brother Martin Luther King Junior, in his book, “Where Do We Go from Here, Chaos or Community? wrote that “a second important step that the Negro must take is to work passionately for group identity. This does not mean group isolation or group exclusivity. There must always be healthy debate…this form of group identity can do infinitely more to liberate the Negro than any action of individuals. We have been oppressed as a group and we must overcome that oppression as a group.”
Brother Malcolm X told members of his Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU) that “U.S. politics is ruled by special interest blocs and lobbies. What group has a more urgent special interest, what group needs a bloc, a lobby, more than the black man…twenty-two million black people should tomorrow give a dollar a piece to build a skyscraper lobby building in Washington, DC. Every morning, every legislator should receive communications about what the black man in America expects and wants, and needs. The demanding voice of the black lobby should be in the ears of every legislator who votes on any issue.”
If we are serious about protecting and promoting our health, economics, cultural, political, technological, legal, and communications interests in this country, we should follow the concrete guidance offered by our three ancestors quoted above as well as others such as Marcus Garvey, Adam Clay Powell, JR, C Deloris Tucker, Martin Delaney, Ida B Wells, WEB Dubois and countless others who have led the way.
