• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Wednesday, 4/30/97 'Firm foundation,' spirituality are keys to success of nation Family values, religion must be part of building a healthy community

(Black community development) must be completed in public school, industrial school and college. The most of it must be completed in the effort of the Negro himself, in his effort to withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to disregard the superficial for the real - the shadow for the substance, to be great and yet small, in his effort to be patient in the laying of a firm foundation, to grow in skill and knowledge that he shall place his service in demand by reason of his intrinsic and superior worth. This, is the key that unlocks every door of opportunity, and all others fail. -- Booker T. Washington, address at unveiling of monument to Robert Gould Shaw, May 31, 1897 In my last column, I identified myself as a Black Nationalist. Black Nationalism was defined as a positive affirmation of the cultural, political, social, and economic identity of African people. I wrote, "Black Nationalists claim only what is entitled to all other sovereign people," and therefore organize African people through the application of the principles of racial solidarity, self-reliance, and self-determination. In this article, I hope to explain how Black Nationalism can function in 1997 and beyond. The above quote from Booker T. Washington is presented to illustrate two points: first, that the nationalist call is a long-standing one among black folk, and second, nation building is a long pain-staking process beginning with "a firm foundation." Previously I recognized Black Nationalism, in its most basic form, as a sojourn of personal transformation in reaction to prevailing Western assumptions. In continuing the dialogue begun two weeks ago, I would like to look at the issues of spirituality, the family unit, education and political independence as crucial to the success of Black Nationalism. O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know one another not despise one another. Truly, the most honored of you in God's sight is the greatest of you in piety. (Koran, 49:13) Spirituality is an oft-overlooked subject in most contemporary political discourse. However, it is the negation of such a critical issue that is the center of many of our problems. Before African people, or any people for that matter, can come to terms with any earthly being, we must first reconcile our relationship with God. Humans have submitted themselves to the whim and will of other humans. As long as we allow our lives to be controlled by imperfect beings, so shall we be subjected to imperfection. Take African people in America for example. At one point in our history we existed as free people in our own land. Slavery and its dignities denied us the opportunity to submit solely to the will of our creator. Instead of our master being God, our masters were morally corrupt white men. The unholy system of slavery sought to elevate whites to the level of gods (a blasphemous act indeed) and demote Africans to the status of sub-human. This irreverence existed for over 200 years, and with the stroke of a pen in 1865 it was all supposed to cease? With the benevolence of honest Abe, Africans were once again members of the human family. Who is to say that other humans in the future won't come along and attempt to subject Africans or any other of God's people to similar degradation? We will never be free from usurpations and perversions of divine authority as long as we use man-made constructs as our guiding lights. The only source worthy of our submission is God. God, the creator of the universe and all that resides within, is all-knowing and established a system under which humans could exist harmoniously, "so that (we) may know one another not despise one another." Only with a philosophy imbued with divine wisdom can the wickedness of racism, white supremacy, and other forms of oppression be overcome. With our relationship with God intact, it is important to re-establish strong familial relationships. Strong family units are the second most essential factor in the development of a vibrant Black Nation. The family is the fundamental unit in any nation. Nations are only as strong as their foundations, and the family is from whence all nations grow. As the rate of black male incarceration and female single-headed households explode at unprecedented rates, urgent action is required. We black men must step forward to take responsibility for our children, nieces and nephews, siblings and other relatives. However, taking responsibility doesn't mean taking over. Rather we must share in the collective duty of community development beginning on the most basic level, the family. I may not be married, but I can foster healthy and respectful relationships with women. It is imperative that Black Nationalism doesn't give in to patriarchy and heterosexism. We must redefine our idea of masculinity. It must not be based on the European model of domination and control: All members of the African community must be equal partners in our shared destiny. Following God and family, Black Nationalism must confront the issue of education. School vouchers are an interesting proposal from a nationalist perspective. It allows parents to reclaim their tax dollars and redirect them to the school of their choice. Unfortunately this may do more harm than good in the long run, because only the most active parents will take advantage of this promising opportunity. Children with attentive parents are likely to be whisked away to more supportive academic environments, leaving the rest to languish in rapidly deteriorating schools. A more viable and productive solution is charter school reform. Under charter school reform, parents, teachers and administrators collaborate in the development of curriculum. Charter schools actively engage the black community in establishing ownership of our children's (and by extension our own) future. As far as politics is concerned, we need to create our own political parties. It is high time that African people emancipate themselves from slavery to the Democratic Party. It makes no sense for us to continue to give our vote to a party that consistently takes it for granted. The 1996 presidential race offers us all the evidence we need. Neither of the major party candidates offered anything specific to address the concerns of African people. Perhaps this is because of our own lack of organization. We simply did not have an agenda that they were forced to address. As an independent people, it is our responsibility to develop our own policy agendas. So-called black (or Afro-American or African American) studies centers and departments must be the vanguard in this movement. They need to devote critical study to the myriad of issues confronting our people in America and throughout the world. It is not enough to come up with solutions, and then toss them off to the Democrats and Republicans to implement. No, the responsibility is ours, and ours alone. Palmer is a fourth-year African American studies student. Previous Daily Bruin story: Black Nationalism promotes concept of racial solidarity, April 16, 1997

Comments

Post a comment