THE BLACK PAPERS

AuthorHouse

Contents

Special Thanks.....................................................ixPrologue...........................................................xiTroubled Waters....................................................1Slavery, Post-Slavery, and The Black Community.....................5Black Leadership...................................................13The Economy........................................................28Trouble with Our Youth.............................................39Black Children and the System of Mis-education.....................62The Dilemma of the Black Male......................................82Missing Woman—Black...........................................89Love, African-American Style.......................................92President Barack Obama.............................................97Conclusion.........................................................102After Thoughts.....................................................107Selected Bibliography..............................................109

Chapter One

"The Black world of America is unlike the White in more ways than mere color." Harold Cruise—Author

Where better to begin then with the conspiracy in New Orleans, Louisiana, known as Hurricane Katrina. I began writing this manuscript in July 2005 before the devastation of Katrina. While I was cognizant of our lack of cohesiveness prior to this tragedy, it was the loss of over 1500 of my people and the suffering of 1000 others that would provide me a knowledge base to understand better the scope of our plight.

This disaster would confirm my belief that Black life in the United States of America is disposable—like trash—and that those Blacks in positions of power have opted to ignore acts of injustice because they have sold themselves to the establishment and do not want to jeopardize their own livelihood. This is often true for Black leaders as well as for some athletes, entertainers, and other affluent Black folks. Such an approach is reminiscent of the "house negro" during slavery.

Those who would survive the deadly flood were forced to watch loved ones drown in their homes. They would be left to fend for themselves without assistance from the local government, federal government, or from those Black folks with the means to help. It was clear that reporters made a conscious effort to tell only stories of "White on Black heroism" even if there were stories of Black folks saving their own. Sadly, as an avid listener of Black radio, I heard very little about our "Black well-to-do negroes" assisting in the aftermath of this tragedy. What has happened to us? How is it that we have more multi-millionaires than ever before and we don't find it necessary to help those less fortunate? Is it that we don't have the power to demand certain rights for our people? If that's so, then we have not really made it, have we? Was there no way that Black entertainers or athletes could have pooled their resources and leased a plane or helicopter to send food or water to those in need? How could we sit and watch from our homes as other Black people begged for help while they held their dying newborn babies and their ailing elderly parents? We didn't even protest when our Black men were killed at the hands of law enforcement as they entered abandoned stores to find food for their families.

There were rumors that the natural disaster was not a disaster after all, but rather a conspiracy to flood New Orleans. This assertion focuses on the fact that the devastation was not caused by the hurricane itself but by the failure of the damaged levees. The failure of the levees coincided with the re-gentrification of Black neighborhoods in many major cities in the country. When White folks are ready to move into a community, they move Black folks out—and as always, we succumb to the demands of Master. The projects in New Orleans that housed thousand of socially and economically deprived people have been replaced with townhomes and gated communities for upper-middle class Whites.

The conspiracy to displace and kill thousands of Black people from New Orleans is in accordance with both the history and the current trends of this country. When members of the White establishment decide to relocate to a specific region, they do so with great power. We have witnessed these "takeovers" in many major cities around the country, including Harlem, New York, one of the most meaningful places in the country for Black people. Harold Cruise (1984) describes Harlem as:

"The most important community of Black America ... the Black world's quest for identity and salvation. The way in which Harlem goes (or does not go) so goes all of Black America." (p. 12)

We now know that Harlem no longer belongs to Black folks. The neighborhood in which our people organized politically, economically, and culturally has a new face. Unfortunately, this happened at the hands of Black leaders who "sold out." The lack of supportive response by Blacks in a financial position to assist is symbolic of our community. Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Will I Am , and very few other entertainers donated time and money to the victims. Of course many others soon jumped on the bandwagon when they realized that they wouldn't be whipped by "slave master." I was forced to listen to reports that follow the efforts of entertainers such as Brad Pitt and Harry Connick Jr. who had donated their time and resources to assist in the rebuilding of the ninth ward—an area of New Orleans most devastated by the flood.

In the documentary by Spike Lee, When the Levee Breaks (2006), one resident spoke of the plan to bring in immigrants to plant trees and assist in the rebuilding of New Orleans. He went on to say how the establishment wouldn't even allow Black men from the neighborhood to contribute their skills. What better way to instill a sense of pride and ownership? This would have been the perfect opportunity to provide this disenfranchised group with a sense of hope—to break the cycle of helplessness among those from low-income neighborhoods by enabling them to participate in the rebuilding of their own homes. Instead, we want to deny Black men (once again) of their manhood and their ability to provide for their families. We then wonder why some are so enraged that they resort to activities that are considered criminal with no sense of commitment to family. Such feelings of inferiority coupled with the loss of the "village mentality" create a lethal combination.

At some time during the last thirty-five or so years, we decided to adopt the cultural practices of White-Americans, and these are often in direct conflict with our identity as African people. White America's greedy fixation on "power at any expense" and the choice to raise their children without guidelines or boundaries is not representative of who we are and from where we originated. According to Dr. Joy DeGruy, during an interview with Gil Noble on Like It Is family and ancestral lines are crucial to West African culture from where many African-Americans have come. Our men are warriors by nature who protect their women and children. Unfortunately, the White establishment has redefined their role for them, and Black men have therefore lost much of their heritage and direction.

While it is clear that...