No one is the savior of Black people except Black people. And even then, only a few of us are dedicated to the upliftment and liberation of Black people. This is why we shouldn’t count on other people to rescue or even respect us. This is why, when I see ADOS and FBA fighting other Black folks over imaginary money that we may never get, I shake my head.
Reparations, although owed, will not help us. Black capitalism will not help us collectively. Begging White people will never grant us respect, liberation, and self-determination. What is needed is for Black people to unite. Black people need education (and not just in a few subjects) to become engineers, computer programmers, architects, medical doctors, and much more. Our aspirations cannot all be about being an entrepreneur, getting “the bag,” and living a “soft life.” Ultramaterialism and vulgar displays of wealth do nothing for our people as a whole.
The point is that we have to roll up our own sleeves. We have to clean up our own streets. We have to build and support our own schools. We have to build our own business hubs. We have to discipline our own. We need our own media. This is not about exclusion. This is about empowering ourselves.
This was the message of people like Malcolm X. The same people who love to quote-mine Malcolm X to attack Black liberals, progressives, and leftists conveniently ignore Malcolm X’s overarching message of Black self-determination and liberation.