Pro-Black Backlash (Part Two)

It's amazing to me that some folks think they can change the world by only dealing with racism and prejudice, especially so-called "pro black", "Afrocentric", "Black Nationalist" groups.  It's interesting to me that here in Pittsburgh, a lot of them will talk about Bush, Rick Santorum, Dick Cheney, Ed Rendell, "The White Man", "The System", but won't talk about the relationship issues they're going through, the addictions some have, the loneliness some of them feel, the posters of little Black girls missing that are posted in every "hood", almost every other week, the domestic violence going on in some of our (and their) homes, the false hugs and handshakes we extend to one another under the guise of being unified and righteous (but, most of us don't even LIKE each other), the sleeping around that some of us do with each other, the infidelity, the drug use by some of us...I'm tired of hearing us sounding like VICTIMS, blaming everybody but never taking responsibility for our own contribution to our problems.  Some of our problems are SELF INFLICTED.  Until we go within, we will go without.

Some say, well, the reason we tend to express so much about The White Man is because he is the catalyst to all our problems.  Well, a catalyst is "something that incites activity"...I guess in the context that most use the word, they're saying that "The White Man" is the one who incited the activity of separation amongst Africans and the descendants, here in America and abroad (in the form of violence, murder, rape, etc.).  I don't agree with that assessment.  I think Black people have created a lie about ourselves that we believed so long that we now believe it to be true.  I also think it's a belief we created in order to not confront our own mistakes against ourselves and blame someone else.  The lie is that we were all living peacefully and unified, in tune with life, harmoniously agreeing with each other, nonviolently until the White Man showed up and divided us up.  We're acting as if the first time there was separation, violence, murder, rape amongst us was when the White Man came along.  That's not true.  We were fighting and killing each other over Gods and Goddesses, land, women, food, minerals, Kings, Queens , and tribes way before The White Man showed up.  We were even enslaving our own before the European slave trade of Africans. 

Now, I do agree, that the Slave trade definitely was unique in experience and has contributed to present day divisions amongst us.  But, it's A contributing factor, not the only one.  Until we tell the whole story and tell the story not as a VICTIM, we will continue to be stuck in the mire of victimization and division.  No one heals by blaming...projecting...pointing the finger at everyone else and never stopping to ask oneself, "How have I contributed to this?" "What part did I play?"  Black people need to be courageous enough to look at Self first, heal self first of the self inflicted wounds we created on ourselves in order to fully respond to wounds created by others...and we have to tell a new story.  The story we've been telling for years has not created any change of lasting substance.  We have to deal with the beliefs that keep having us looking outside ourselves for answers, for blaming, for guidance.  Beliefs create behaviors.  The behaviors exhibited by us won't change until the beliefs that created them change.  We have to become courageous enough to question and challenge beliefs we've been holding on to in order to become more aware of what we've been choosing to announce about ourselves and challenge the beliefs WE created, not only the beliefs of others...namely, "The White Man".  There are beliefs that Black people created (before The White Man showed up) that may still be holding us back.  Just because a religion or culture was created by Black people doesn't automatically make it "righteous". 

That's like when Black politicians come through Pittsburgh and begin campaigning for votes in the "Hood.  There's this belief that we should vote for her or him because they're of the same race.  Please!  I need to know that you have my best interests at heart, I need to know that you're honest, sincere, authentic, organized, transparent, consistent, etc...These qualities transcend petty outward physical characteristics.  If you don't have these qualities, then it would be an inaccurate announcement of myself to vote for you because it doesn't express Who I Am.  Once again, if we don't go within, we'll go without.  Remember, we first look in and then look out...