Measuring Up to Our Potential: A Time that is No More
Frank A. Jones
 

As I listen to many young Black people today, I am struck by how much things have changed--some changes are good, and some changes are bad. But as much as things have changed, still some things remain the same.

The failure of prominent Black voices on the Web and strange Black voices from the right make me realize the absence of an Afrocentric philosophy that is articulated by young Black firebrands, as we once had. I remember a time that is no more. It was a time when our hair was long and the beauty of our blackness was vaunted; a time when we thought we could further the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, H.Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, and the "Black cause" by going to school, developing our minds, and maintaining our dedication to the race. Black was beautiful and everyone knew it, but most of all, WE KNEW IT.

Today, when I see the paltry aspirations of some young Blacks, "I wish my eyes had not been opened." When I see the loss of a Black pride by many and a crisis of identity by others, as they are mentally crippled by a media attempting to mold all comers into a white paradigm; when I see Black street hustlers feigning a streetwise scholarship that makes a certain type of sense to the weak and willfully ignorant young Black men, and neither the hustler nor the hustled realizes their blindness; and when I see those who have gone to the nation's best schools and have come out with a hatred of self without an understanding of that fact, "I wish my eyes had not been opened."

I wonder how so many have gone to the same schools as I but are still blind. As I reflect in this writing on Haki Madhubuti's works, I realize that I was kept from a loss of self by hearing Afrocentric teachers even though they were few; I was also saved by a group of young Black "Elders" who were also at Berkeley, sitting on the wall near the student center (we called it the Black Wall) and questioned me and every other Black male who entered or exited with this question: "What are you majoring in, brother?" and  "Don't lose yourself, brother. Remember who you are, brother. Remember the race!" And it was also the Black Muslim brothers who kept this self-knowledge present in me; I didn't accept their religion, but their love for the race, for the past greatness of Black people, and for our future potential were instilled in me and that made me and many other Blacks exceed our own expectations.

When I would move among my white business associates in the downtown of San Francisco and elsewhere, without fail, a Black Muslim brother would greet me not with hello, but with the loud salutation of, "Black Man!" That was during a period that this society said Black people were not important. But the Muslim brothers affirmed that we were important and of concern to them; they made young Blacks feel we were special, and they made us know we were beautiful Black men and women.

We were not scientifically clear about the efficacy of the Black Muslims' stratagem, but we theorized it would work. More than work, it kept many young Black males focused and with a clear understanding that we are a part of a Black main that is not just in America but wherever Black people are found. Furthermore, it made us understand that a price was paid for young Blacks to enter into equal schools, houses, jobs, etc., and we have an obligation to give back to our community that others like us can experience the same privileges that our fore-parents made it possible for us to receive. Indeed, the idea of giving back is not lost on the majority of Blacks--many Black and Brown physicians and lawyers practice in their communities about 80% of the time; that is a type of payback; that is the philosophy which holds that we are all a part of the Black main. But too many young Blacks are oblivious to the debt they owe to the Black community. They have bought into the mass media's attempt to cut the tie Black people have to their past.

Haki Madhubuti, writer and publisher of the Third World Press, said: "When something is given to you, it can be taken back." That is a reality not understood by many of the newly upwardly mobile Blacks. And others who do realize that truth have contorted themselves so badly that they are often in an identity crisis, as they try to hold on to the gift given--their employment positions and respectability.

To many it seems as if Afrocentric writers linger on Black shortcomings too much, but that is a focus of love, not carping, and certainly it is not to be classified with Black bashing--a new, yet old method of self hatred practiced by a few upwardly mobile Republican Black intellectuals and non-intellectuals attempting to sell books and columns to White audiences for a quick buck.

Afrocentric writers and thinkers know what Black genius is capable of and that often what we produce is incompatible with and irreconcilable to our ancestry, our history, and our capacity. Racism is an adverse variable we have to grapple with, but it is one we will have to factor into the equation of our lives and simply deal with it masterfully--it is clear that whites are not going to abandon it anytime soon; it is a white privilege that gives them an unfair advantage that they desire. So for Blacks, the presence of racism cannot be used as an excuse for incompetence, a failure to achieve, etc. Afrocentric writers remind us that we are smarter and stronger than the forces arrayed against us. A  reality check offers an important difference between the Black bashers and opportunists who will kill their mothers for a buck and Afrocentric teachers found in Gibbs and other serious Black voices. The Black Conservative Right, usually Republican sponsored, use their skills to rationalize an anomalous position for Blacks, as those Blacks ingratiate themselves with those giving them bucks.

Afrocentric thinkers acknowledge the adverse nature of racism, but they challenge us to over come it. They do not talk as if the playing field is level for all Americans; they know that it is not. But that is a moral and legal issue Whites must come to grips with. As for these Black philosophers, they know Black potential and encourage its use instead of relying on excuses of racism. Of course, we will legally, morally, ethically challenge racism wherever it is found.

A young Black man won a full, four-year scholarship to a Utah university. After a year he returned home, and I asked his parents, Why? I was told that racism is very strong in Utah. So I asked the same question again, Why has he returned home? The idea that racism will stop us or it is strong simply means we must be stronger. Blacks know racism in America in all its forms; it was here during slavery, it was here during the Reconstruction, it was here during the Civil Rights and the Black Liberation movements; and it is here now.

Apparently, it is a need White Americans have, if they are going to stay ahead of the pack. And since they are the majority, and their morality is often arrived at through consensus, until that majority is no longer the majority or until their need for a racial advantage is satisfied, racism will be in America, and it will be rationalized by them and those of us who have not been able to see beyond the constructs that justify that abnormal behavior. Since this is the situation we must live in,  intelligence behooves us to act wisely.

This truth needs to go forth to many of our young Black males who have not lived up to their history, their ancestry, or their potential. Many have functioned in a context of America. But such a context is a slavery mindset, and until they can see beyond that myopic context, they will remain slaves and will behave as slaves. But once they realize their historical potential, they will rise from their lethargy and understand that success is a part of our history.

During the 70's, Black Liberation philosophy allowed Black people to work exploits--we leapt over walls, burst through barriers for the race; there was no task that was beyond us; we gave our lives, our minds, our time and talents for the race. Now things have changed: Black exuberance is not as it was; the factors of our diffusion have taken their toll on many of our people, and our young have been drawn away by the false belief that all things are well with us.

Times have changed, and that change has brought a change to our behavior and attitudes. We don't wear our hair long or flaunt our blackness anymore; yet we know Black people are beautiful, and for those true believers, our dedication to the right-standing of our people remains unchanged. But when talking to many young Blacks and seeing an absence of the fire of their blackness, I remember the call we had  years ago to measure up to our Black potential. But that was a time that is no more.

Republished 5/15/06

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