What are we going to do? America’s justice system has made it clear. It was constructed to give us about as much justice as the wolf was made to give a nation of sheep. History is the most profound teacher. Like the wolf, the system has devoured us. How long will we sit dumbfounded waiting for oranges to grow from an apple tree? If the architects of America’s system of jurisprudence were not even thinking of us when they built it then maybe it’s high time we start thinking about ourselves. Yeah, I’m saying it. It’s time that Black America develop a GANG MENTALITY.
The back-to-back exonerations of the officers responsible for the death of Freddie Gray coupled with the recent murders of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and Korryn Gaines serve as exclamation points. The more we scream “Black Lives Matter” the more we see Black Lives murdered with no justice. The sanity of Black America is at stake. Integration has cast us into a most weakened state. It’s time to reclaim our power. The only way to reclaim our power is to declare UNITY BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.
When I use the term “gang” I don’t mean it in the traditional sense. It has nothing to do with drive-by shootings, soulja rags or colored bandanas. It has everything to do with recognizing that we are in a socio-economic war where every other ethnic group sticks together except us. For this reason alone, we are losing battle after battle. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught that 90% of the problems of Black America can be solved if we would simply UNITE. Nothing else has worked. Nothing else will.
When I use the term “gang mentality” I’m referring to a mindset that says we are to become the helpers and protectors of one another at all costs. We must become territorial about the way we spend our dollars and patriotic when it comes to supporting Black-owned businesses. When it comes to economics, Whites, Asians, Jews and even our Latino brothers and sisters have a gang mentality. “Little Haiti” in Miami is a sign of our Haitian brothers and sisters’ recognition of the need for self-determination. Black people in America are the only people who are accused of being “reverse racists” for advocating the support of our own versus others.
The very same curators of the system that strangles the socio-economic life out of us have the unmitigated gall to say it’s racist for us move our dollars to a Black-owned banking institution or religiously read the Forward Times Newspaper versus the New York Times. That’s like someone breaking into your home repeatedly yet accusing you of not being neighborly when you decide to get burglar bars. What’s sad is that too many of our own people pay attention to that nonsense. When a White, Jewish or Asian person questions why you patriotically support Black businesses, ask them when was the last time they supported one. If they take too long to reply simply let them know you support your own because if you don’t no one else will.
The book of Micah 4:4 says “In that day, Every man shall go to his own. And every man shall find refuge under his own vine and fig tree.” We are living in the time where every people are building among themselves, marshaling their resources and creating a future for their own people. Our mentality has to change with the time or we will continue to get left behind the rest of civilized society.
We have to develop a gang mentality that says I am sworn to support my own people before I offer support to anyone else. We have to develop a ride-or-die mentality when it comes to educating our children about the beauty of being Black. We have to “up the trust level” among us so that we can establish institutions that feed, clothe and shelter our people. Law enforcement would probably take issue with me implying that we need to adopt a gang mentality. That’s interesting, considering they already have one. It’s called the “Blue Wall.” They don’t break ranks. I say we develop a “Black Wall” mentality where we don’t break ranks as long as we are standing on truth and righteousness. In order for our reality to change our mentality has to change. And since every one else is looking out for themselves, we would be damned fools to continue sitting around waiting for oranges to fall from an apple tree.