What Is Wrong With Black People \\\White People?

Scrutinizing and Analyzing Black Leadership Much has been, and is, going on in the way of attempting to solve the critical problems facing black people in America by their leadership. Since the days of Reconstruction, the Negro has been allowed to obtain some kind of education and openly accrue learning and, perhaps, some knowledge. Negro institutions of learning have been built specifically for him because, by and large, he was not accepted in the American (white) institutions of lower and higher learning. He was fired out of the canon of 310 years of chattel slavery into a competitive world of self-independence controlled by those who hated the sight of him and never had to think of him on any level other than that of a slave. Though the practice of slavery had been utilized in other countries, as well as America, it had been abolished as an institution framed and cloaked in law and statutes in recent times by Mexico (1829) and, later and lastly, by Brazil (1888). It is interesting to note, however, that in 1810, in Mexico, Father Hidalgo proclaimed the abolition of slavery. Approximately three years later, in1813, when José María Morelos became commander of the Mexican Revolution, he repeated Father Hidalgo’s decree. However, in 1829, it was President Vicente Guerrero who officially signed the decree abolishing slavery in Mexico. President Vicente Guerrero’s father was Mexican, but from his mother’s bloodline, he inherited a mixture of Amerindian, Spanish, and African. The institution of slavery imposed on black people in America for 310 years did not vanish with the passing of legislation outlawing its practice. Releasing the slave from physical bondage was symbolic more than an actuality because the slave was yet not allowed to go where he wanted, do what he wanted, or even openly think what he wanted without repercussions and consequences from those who ignored law, without penalty, to hold the black man of America prey. To a critical degree, black people in America still suffer the same today. The wounds of the black man and woman in a physical sense can be considered healed if one does not consider the poisonous foods, drinks, and medicines consumed today. The psychological problems resulting from 310 years of diabolical and inhumane treatment unimaginable by most people of the earth is another matter altogether. Those psychological wounds have been driven to a depth so deep that it is beyond the scholarship of the institutions of this world to even fathom, let alone correct or heal. As such, it is understandable that much of the world is perplexed when viewing the feeble efforts of black leaders who struggle to solve problems that would be considered simple by normal or excepted standards. I characterize the problems specifically afflicted on former slaves of America as being simple only from the standpoint of others who would consider it a blessing to be in the financial position of the blacks of America. They just would not be able to sleep much for being awake day and night, rejoicing, thinking, and planning what to do with all those hundreds of billions of dollars that black people of America spend, like a four-year-old child in a candy shop. These are problems that render the black man incapable of meaningful and recognizable progress for self and kind, not only from the realm of common sense, but also from an intellectual perspective. These are extremely complex problems that require a knowledge and approach different and deeper than the institutional knowledge that has been thrown at this 450-plus-year-old condition. Efforts to solve these problems continue today. We have: “The Covenant with Black America” by Tavis Smiley and the “Millions More Movement” and its nine ministries by the convener, the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, and the many highly intelligent co-conveners. These are the two greatest attempts advanced in this critical hour of our sojourn in America. With billions of dollars going out of America daily to finance war and American corporations relocating abroad, taking with them jobs for Americans and importing away the actual manufacturing grid that is needed to produce jobs, we can surely understand plenty of what to expect from a house budget that spends more than it earns. Looking forward, we see more war on the horizon. We critically need a solution to the problems of black people, and soon! Taking a closer look at the two approaches before us to solve our problem of survival, our scrutiny should be intense and thorough if we fully consider the time and what must be done. Looking at the covenant with black America, I examine the statements of four participants for comparative analysis to arrive at a decision of which is best to achieve the aims and purposes of our people in the short and long term. To me, the greatest achievement of The Covenant is its outline of the problems facing black America. It is chock-full of verifiable facts that highlight, to a great degree, the external problems we face as black people in America today. If we consider the goal of the Covenant with Black America, as stated by its founder, Tavis Smiley—which is to make black America better and, by so doing, make America better—then we must apply critical analysis to the methodology promulgated by The Covenant to achieve the end goal. The 2006 televised meeting in Houston, Texas sponsored by The Covenant titled “The State of Black America” Or “A Contract with Black America,” will be examined using the statements of Dr. Cornel West, Mr. Harry Belafonte, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. I am sure that critical analysis cannot be done without offending positions taken by some, as evidenced by the negative reactions of a few to the critical analysis given by Minister Louis Farrakhan. Actually, the minister gave an analysis that was, in my opinion, interpreted by some as a criticism of the sincere and hard work done to produce the Covenant. A question arises to ask: Will criticism received pertaining to our hard work and sincere efforts blind us to the nature of such criticism and the deep well of concern and love from which it sprang? To understand that a man dealing with serious health issues in Arizona made a decision to go to Houston to be part of a panel dealing with the serious mental, spiritual, psychological, and health issues of black people and immediately after his participation in Houston, had to leave to go to Chicago to address thousands later that evening at a free dinner—as a gift from him—concerning these same and similar issues, was sure to cause deep concern by those who knew of, and were concerned about his physical condition. The dinner was so beautiful and peaceful that it lasted late and finally the minister made his exit which was a relief to those who knew and worried over his condition at that time. The next day Minister Farrakhan addressed a live audience of nearly twenty thousand at “Saviours’ Day and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, the world over via satellite! This should remove from anyone seeking an understanding, the thought of vanity and ego as a motivation for such commitment and sacrifice to go to Houston in the reality of such a grueling schedule, considering his physical condition at that time.