LEGACY

First, before I begin, let me thank those of you who have taken the time and opportunity to read my blog. Now that I’m retired, I often reflect on what I will eventually leave behind. What will be my personal “legacy”, as it were? I also contemplate the current state of the black community and how we arrived at the predicament we exist in today, our “legacy”. This blog contains my Just, (as in righteous, truthful) Thoughts and I appreciate you at least considering them as you go about your daily lives, that being said, let’s proceed…

A legacy or legacies is what someone or something is remembered for, or what they have left behind that is remembered, revered or has influenced current events and the present day. Wikipedia

Something inherited from a predecessor; a heritage, Wikipedia Dictionary

 

When you talk about legacy, incorporating the definition listed above, in the case of black people you have to consider what was initiated, and left behind from slavery that has directly influenced present day events in the black community. What did we inherit, does it affect our mentality today, and is it still being utilized to affect our advancement as a community? Are the same strategies employed to indoctrinate and maintain control over a slave population still being used on the black community today? Let us take a retrospective, then you decide for yourself.

I always wondered how a country allegedly founded on; religious freedom and the principle “that all men are created equal” could justify the existence of chattel slavery.

The "founding fathers", (Thomas Jefferson was one of the largest slave owners of his time) had to circumvent this moral dilemma. They had to fabricate the ideology of white superiority, and that blacks were inferior, subhuman. Jefferson was the major architect and proponent of this ideology. 

They indoctrinated both the slave master and slave with this profane, and immoral doctrine.

In order for this concept to be accepted as true, both parties had to accept it. Well, if you are the ones being told you are superior it doesn’t take much to accept it as fact, especially when this doctrine is being supported and advocated, by pseudo science, leadership (government) and the church (the Catholic church condoned slavery). 

Both the slave and the slave master learned to accept the doctrine of black inferiority, either through physical, psychological abuse (slave), or through appeasement of the ego (slave master). However, in the case of the slave there are generational consequences that continue until today.

The process of making a slave (mentality) was credited to an alleged historical figure named Willie Lynch, a West Indian plantation owner. There is some debate as to whether Willie Lynch ever existed, however there can be no debate on the effectiveness of the “system” he is credited with developing. Lynch equated the making of a slave, with the “breaking” of a wild horse and described in detail how to accomplish this in a letter to Virginia slave owners in 1712.
In this forum I won’t go into detail as to the contents of the letter. You can, if you haven’t done so already, obtain this information in the book, The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave, or on various Internet sites. Whether or not the Willie Lynch document is authentic is not important, because the cause and effect described in the letter is real.

When you bring up the subject of slavery (cause) today,  most people’s reaction is,
“ Man that’s ancient history”, “That happened so long ago, we need to forget about it” .
This attitude is a direct result of continued conditioning (effect). It is important to remember that our history did not begin with slavery. We were not “slaves”, we were a people with a vibrant culture, and a proud heritage, who were enslaved.

Our actions as a people today, echo the pain of our past. We can build a "House of Harmony", that will stand for generations to come, but first we must build a strong foundation.
We kill each other, in a futile attempt to kill the ugliness and shame we see in ourselves. We are the single largest ethnic consumer group in America, thinking that we can buy our self esteem, prestige, and the respect we deserve, based on what we believe we "own". If you doubt the "slave mentality" still exists ask yourself:

1. Why do we still embrace "Black stereotypes"?
2. Why do we call each other "dog", a domesticated animal, that is subservient to it's "master"?
3. Why do we keep killing each other?
4. Why can't we support each other?
5. Why is the joke always on us?

We can only gain understanding through knowledge of self. Using knowledge of self, we will gain awareness, and with the realization that comes with awareness we will finally obtain the WISDOM, that we will bestow upon future generations. 

Let me ask you, would it be valid to ask a person of Jewish ancestry to forget the holocaust, of course not. The Jewish community has used this episode in their history as a source of strength, unifying them as a people. They can accomplish this because they are a people, abundant in culture and proud of their heritage.

We must embrace our history, and be proud of it, because once we do that; we can begin to analyze the events of the past, and connect them to what is presently occurring in our communities.
The accessibility of military grade weapons, and the proliferation of narcotics, are all a continuation of the mental, psychological, and physical enslavement of our people. This is the enduring aftermath of "America's Holocost".

You can’t cure the Disease, if you don’t treat the Symptoms

In the aftermath of slavery we must first learn to accept that it is an integral part of our history. We must recognize that we were subjected to extreme physical, mental, and psychological tortures (disease).

Yet despite the greatest psychological attack on a people in the history of mankind, we continue to survive. This is a true testament to our resiliency and strength. We have always made a way out of no way.

We need to acknowledge the existence of deteriorating family values, economic stagnation, outrageous homicide statistics and extensive incarceration rates, that exist in our communities (symptoms).

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds”

Robert (Bob) Nesta Marley

We can begin to counteract the disease by treating the symptoms. Where the system attributed to Willie Lynch sought to create an atmosphere of fear, we can learn to exhibit bravery by standing up for truth and what’s right. Where there is distrust, we can learn to trust and deal with others with respect. Teach the young to respect their elders, for they posses the wisdom that will guide their journey into the future. Don’t succumb to feelings of dissimilarity based on the various skin tones of our beautiful people. We cannot succumb to the "age-old" strategy of divide and conquer.  

We are all the same,... One Tribe!.

“The answer lies in each of us. For somewhere in your past ... there rose from the smoldering ashes of slavery a proud and humble people who suffered and struggled with life. A people who found the strength to endure all the indignities of life in America, and that people had the hope for a taste of her bounties in the future”.

W.E.B DuBois

We can learn to treat these “symptoms”, by first acknowledging their existence. It is especially incumbent upon our black men to begin to reestablish our rightful place as teacher and protector in our communities. This is our obligation as men. We can’t sit back and wait for someone else to come to our communities rescue.

Black Men, what will be our LEGACY?

If not us,... Who? If not now,... When?

The time is Now. The who, is Us.

The time has come to begin…

"THE MOVEMENT"

"Peace"

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