BAILEY: Black Folks Should Focus On Our Group’s Strengths

It is way past the time for serious Black folks in this country to resolve that in 2021 we are focused all of our attention on identifying, analyzing and building upon our strengths as individuals and as a group.

This will do much more to protect our economic, cultural, political, educational, health, legal, technological and self-defense interests than using our meetings to tell can-you-top-this horror stories about the latest actions of white supremacists. If we build upon our strengths, it will send a clear message to those whose goal is to keep us in a permanent position of second-classhood.

Contrary to popular propaganda and beliefs of our enemies and, unfortunately, too many Black people, we do have strengths. Only a strong group of people could have survived the physical and psychological attacks that have been inflicted on us in a basically white supremacist society.

That’s why one of the first things we should do is put together a national conference during which we will have divisions in the above listed arenas of economics, culture, politics, health, education, legal, technology and self-defense. Each division would be required to come up with plans of action in their field that will advance our group’s interests in their particular field of action. If a hostile move is made by proponents of white supremacy against us in their arena they should be able to provide us with concrete guidance on how to deal with it.

Believe me, I am well aware that what I am proposing is not going to happen overnight. But I do believe that there are enough serious Black folks in this country to begin laying the groundwork in 2021.

I share the belief expressed by the great journalist-historian Lerone Bennett Jr., who noted, “Given the way we are forced to live in this society, the miracle is not that so many families are broken, but that so many are still together. That so many Black fathers are still at home. That so many Black mothers are still raising good children. It is the incredible toughness and resilience in Black people that gives me hope.”

Those of us who share Brother Lerone’s hope most definitely must walk the walk in 2021.

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