The Black Community Needs Pit Bulls, Not Chihuahuas

When it comes to dogs, there is a huge difference between a Pit Bull and a Chihuahua.

Chihuahuas make a lot of noise and are loud, but really don’t intimidate anyone very much. Pit Bulls, on the other hand, don’t have to make a single sound, but their mere presence can appear menacing, and once they decide to attack, they do so without fear or reservation.

I love the Black Lives Matter movement, because it is made up of a bunch of energized young people who saw a problem and decided to do something about it to galvanize Black people.

I love the fact that a lot of the members of the group are millenials, many of them who are still in high school and college. It is refreshing to see.

I honestly don’t know how people can talk down on this movement, yet they do. I don’t really give those people the time of day, because most of them are always talking loud and saying nothing anyway. Most of them are do-nothing individuals, who just sit back and criticize everything someone else does, with no track record of putting forth an effort themselves.

I have to be honest with you, that it gets frustrating having to witness the myriad of issues Black people have to deal with in this country it seems like every other day. It gets a tad bit overwhelming.

It seems as though every other day, another Black person gets killed, is assaulted or receives no justice in the criminal justice system, and we find ourselves marching and protesting every week in order to highlight the numerous injustices we seemingly experience on a recurring basis.

Black people are getting attacked in so many areas that it is as if we are constantly on the opposite end of some large boulders that are consistently released, one after another, and just roll down the hill like clockwork, with the sole purpose of seeking to destroy us.

These boulders are destructive. But what bothers me the most, however, is when you have many members of the Black community trying to stop these boulders from rolling down the hill to destroy and crush us, you always have that one Black man or woman, who always has to say something and steps on the scene as if they are truly able to make something happen to bring about change. The sad reality, however, is that this wannabe Black superhero, and many of you know someone just like this, is all bark and no bite. You know like I know that this person has absolutely no answer to deal with the issues Black people are facing, yet they want to be the center of attention and come across as if they have the answers. Anyone come to mind yet?

That is why I love dealing with young people. For the most part, young people may be somewhat inexperienced and a little immature, but they will tell it like it is and are not afraid to get their hands dirty and mix it up a little bit. They aren’t a bunch of talk.

But these other folks are a different breed of Black folks, in that they are like that little Chihuahua dog that we’re all familiar with. The Chihuahua dog loves to bark really loudly and draw attention to itself, but when approached by a real threat, it retreats like a little coward.

Hey, but have you ever noticed how after the Chihuahua dog runs away, they turn back to see if the real threat has moved away, and once they feel unthreatened they continue right back on barking loud again, as if the barking is going to really intimidate the impending threat against it?

Honestly, it is hilarious.

Let’s be honest y’all, we’ve got several Black people in our respective communities who are just like that Chihuahua dog. You know them too. Many of these folks have been appointed or self- appointed to “so-called” positions of authority and leadership, yet they do a whole lot of talking and meeting, but have nothing to show for their talking. Meanwhile, the Black community suffers from being rolled over by a large number of boulders that represent issues these “so-called” leaders can’t stop, yet they keep talking and talking and talking.

Sadly, many of these “talking heads” are aware of what is coming down the pipe that will hurt the Black community, yet they stand hand-in-hand with many of the enemies of the Black community and are complicit with the very wishes and intentions of those individuals and groups who intentionally or unintentionally seek to harm the Black community. It is truly sad.

And by the time the majority of people in the Black community actually realize that many of these destructive decisions have been made and things set in motion, the momentum of that boulder coming towards us is so great that we don’t have much time to develop a strategy to handle it or fight against it. In usual fashion though, the Black community has to jump into action in order to do whatever it takes to stop these actions from doing even more damage, while the “talking heads” provide no solutions to deal with their ignorance and inept decision making.

Black people need to wake up and realize that the answers to their problems can’t be left in the

hands of those who know these boulders are coming down the hill. We can’t trust people who would rather see us get rolled over in order to have a title, position or further their own personal and business objectives. If the people Black folks really put their faith and trust in really have the power and influence they claim to have, then why are they unable to change the things and stop the things that are harming us? If these people are the effective representatives for the Black community they claim to be, then the Black community wouldn’t be in the position it finds itself in. The most trusting of us in the Black community need to understand we can’t negotiate and talk with people and entities that have their own agenda and wish to harm the Black community.

We can’t bring a knife to a gunfight – especially when it’s really a dull butter knife. More importantly, we can’t keep barking loudly at issues, especially when what we really need are pit bulls that are willing and ready to bite hard and bite often.

I choose to be a pit bull, not a Chihuahua. More importantly, I take a stand with many of the young Black people in this country who are not afraid and choose to be pit bulls also.

The question is, what will you choose to be?

Jeffrey L. Boney serves as Associate Editor and is an award-winning journalist for the Houston Forward Times newspaper. Jeffrey is a frequent contributor on the Nancy Grace Show and has a daily radio talk show called Real Talk with Jeffrey L. Boney. He is a Next Generation Project Fellow, dynamic, international speaker, experienced entrepreneur, business development strategist and Founder/CEO of the Texas Business Alliance. If you would like to request Jeffrey as a speaker, you can reach him at jboney1@forwardtimes.com