Black America Loses Gamble in Electing First Black President
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by Phillip Jackson
“Black America mistakenly traded the future of its young black men for a black president.” African Americans’ hopes and dreams and great expectations that Barack Obama would address the forces that are forcing Black males out of work and into jail, came to naught. “Over and over, the black community has reached out for help from this first black president, and over and over, he has said, ‘No!’"
Black America Loses Gamble in Electing First Black President
by Phillip Jackson
“Compared with massive government bailouts and frivolous expenditures, the resources required to save America's young black men are minuscule.”
In 2008, black America placed most of its political capital, spiritual energy and financial resources into electing the first black president of the United States. Black community leaders - political, spiritual and media - led us to believe that electing a first black president was a natural extension of the civil rights movement.
They were wrong. In fact, electing the first black president might well have ended the civil rights movement. Black America mistakenly traded the future of its young black men for a black president.
Young black men in America are beyond living in a "state of emergency." Many of them range from "barely surviving" to "no longer existing." This tragedy can be seen in prisons and jails across America, where black men make up 50% to 80% of prison and jail populations although we are less than 7% of the total U.S. population.
“Electing the first black president might well have ended the civil rights movement.”
Despair also can be seen in our families, where more than 70% of our children are born into single, female-headed households, and in colleges and universities, where black male populations on many major college campuses total a mere 1% to 3%.
Granted, these were all problems before the first black president took office; however, the bottom line is that this president has not committed himself in any way to directly address these issues.
In so many ways, the energy used to support a first black president was energy that should have been used to educate black children, rebuild black families and economically revitalize black communities. As a way of saving our struggling communities, black America took a gamble on supporting a first black president. But we lost.
Over and over, the black community has reached out for help from this first black president, and over and over, he has said, "No!" This first black president has been clear that his job is not to help black Americans but to help all Americans.
All Americans do not need the same help that young black men need. We need only walk down any city street in almost any predominantly African-American community to see residue of the human wreckage of millions of young black men nationwide.
“This president has not committed himself in any way to directly address these issues.”
Few leaders - those same political, spiritual and media leaders who advised us to campaign for this black president - engaged in proactive measures to prevent this "silent genocide." The mass destruction of young black American men has been effectively ignored by almost everybody - the government, the media and much of the philanthropic community. And even most black faith leaders stand by and watch this preventable, ongoing, horrific loss of our young black men.
Too few of us are asking: Who are young black women going to marry? Who will be good fathers to tens of millions of black fatherless children? Who will anchor strong families in the black community? Who will build and maintain the economies of black communities? Who will young black boys emulate as they grow into men? Will black America be a viable and valuable community in 20 years?
This demise of black America is happening in front of our eyes because so few of us - black, white or other - really care about these young black men.
Electing America's first black president seems to have cleansed the conscience of most Americans for destroying many past generations of black people. What a cruel hoax to believe that if a black man can become president, then young black men do not have any problems that America is obligated to address.
“Simply telling black men to "man up" will not work.”
Correcting the problems of young black men in America will require a comprehensively structured, sufficiently financed, professionally managed, ethically led and committed multi-pronged effort to systemically address and shift the cascading negative outcomes for black men and boys. Simply telling black men to "man up" will not work.
The real shame of this catastrophe is not that America can't save young black men; the shame is that America won't make the effort to save young black men! Compared with massive government bailouts and frivolous expenditures, the resources required to save America's young black men are minuscule.Saving young black men is an investment in America! A successful effort to save young black men must also address habits, attitudes and behaviors of these youth that have pushed them to the precipice of irrelevance, obsolescence and nonexistence.
To date, precious little has been put in place to stop the ongoing destruction and annihilation of young black men. When our first black president has been asked about helping black men in America, his retort, "I will do what is best for all Americans," is woefully insufficient to address the endangered status of millions of black males in America.
The president must do the best for both, not just for America. In fact, doing what is best for young black men is what is best for America!
Phillip Jackson is founder and executive director of The Black Star Project in Chicago. You may call him at 773.285.9600 or email him at blackstar1000@ameritech.net.
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Comments
Very Good, But...
Dear Sir,
It is nice that you speak out on the necessity of restoring the black man. But your suggestion that America take the lead in doing so is not very realistic.
Do you really believe that a nation which has spent its post-Civil War existence doing everything imaginable to exterminate Negro males is really going to now make an effort to help them? Get real!
If all the black males on the continent were to fall into the Atlantic ocean and drown, the only lament white America would have is that the quality of their sports entertainment would take a hit.
There will NEVER be any campaigns to finance the recovery of the black male in America. Tax dollars that are spent in his regards are used only to facilitate his destruction. This is the purpose of the prison-industrial complex.
It is also the purpose of the child support-welfare industry which pays black women to birth the illegitimate, and thus fatherless, children that you mentioned. It is also the source of the fodder that perpetuates the prison-industrial complex.
Black male salvation must start with black males. They can't wait on the government and they can't wait on black women who are in cahoots with the government. They must take control of their own lives, their own families, and their own communities by taking control of their women.
This is their primary problem. It is also known as matriarchy. The first step in the black man's recover must be to resist the scams that are used to destroy him. The primary racket used for this purpose is the child support-welfare system. Black men must refuse to pay into this system which gives them the legal title of a father but denies them the rights of fatherhood. It also saddles him with odious debt by making him liable for the behavior of promiscuous black women. It is a modern form of peonage.
So long as the black matriarchal household that is subsidized by the child support system and funded by the black man's paycheck marginalizes these same black men and cripples black children, just so long will America's campaign of black male extermination continue.
Thank you.
Why not...
"Black male salvation must start with black males. They can't wait on the government and they can't wait on black women who are in cahoots with the government. They must take control of their own lives, their own families, and their own communities by taking control of their women."
Ok genius. After you get through removing the "K" from your name to better represent the progeny of your thoughts, why don't you hand us down a detailed process of how we should commence with your misogynistic, booby trap plan.
I'm sure that Mr. Jackson and many others can't wait for you to contradict your own advice.
First a few Questions:
What is your position on the child support issue?
Do you think it is helping black children, black fathers, and black families? How?
Do you believe it is an obligation that you have to pay it to the state? (Or perhaps I should say have the state take it from you.) Why?
Do you believe that black women should be the heads of black families? Why?
Thanks
Remove the K
Oh PLEASE. Why blame everything on another? Don't you make the choice to have sex with a woman hence you are responsable for your actions of fathering your a child with one of the women you so speak of. It starts with YOUR decision NOT to have sex and inpregnat a woman that is on welfare. She is living for free cause thats her angle in life she chose and if you contribute a child to her game your due the responsablity of taking care of that child. Now who do you think should pay for the up bringing of that child? So rememeber the price of un zipping your pants doesn't end always with just a orgasam. Take responsability for YOUR ACTIONS
Remove the K
Oh PLEASE. Why blame everything on another? Don't you make the choice to have sex with a woman hence you are responsable for your actions of fathering your a child with one of the women you so speak of. It starts with YOUR decision NOT to have sex and inpregnat a woman that is on welfare. She is living for free cause thats her angle in life she chose and if you contribute a child to her game your due the responsablity of taking care of that child. Now who do you think should pay for the up bringing of that child? So rememeber the price of un zipping your pants doesn't end always with just a orgasam. Take responsability for YOUR ACTIONS