Changing the Game in America By all means necessary

Aug 06, 2017 Letters

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Dear Editor,
The world knows that President Trump has never been in elected political office, is a rank outsider coming from the private sector business world. However, from this viewpoint it is blatantly apparent that Donald Trump has failed to come to grips with the reality that he is the Leader of the free world, Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces, Chief Executive of the federal government, and de facto head of the Republican Party. Better put
Every day under Trump’s leadership the rules keep changing. Unless and until Blacks in America become more organized and unified ,and train the young especially the youth in the way they should go, by getting engaged politically, socially and economically, we will continue playing by the rules of someone else’s game, as opposed to creating rules to a game that is in our overall best interest.
He who is currently in control in America, and is accustomed to being in control has and will continue to use tactics, as well as make up rules as he goes along, in order to remain in control until he is stopped— rules that will ultimately prove disastrous for Blacks at large. Historian and civil rights activist W.E.B Du Bois is quoted as once having said; “a system cannot fail those it was never built to protect.”
In retrospect if we stopped and carefully glance at the Constitution of the United States, which includes the 3/5ths Compromise, it is clear that Black people did not originate any of these laws or make up any of the rules that have historically disenfranchised African Americans in this country. To compound matters when it comes to being Black in America, all one has to do is review history and it will almost instantaneously be revealed that Black folks have consistently been on the receiving end of systematic oppression and have been placed on the wrong side of law-making since inception. Nothing new is taking place or will take place under the present presidency.
The famous Ethiopian novelist and playwright Abe Gubegna has to his credit the following quote: “Every day in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running.”
Shift country and scenario and every day that Black folks wake up in America, they realize that they have to work harder; react differently; smile more; arrive earlier; avoid conflict more; and give more than everyone else in order to play the game that has been laid out. The sad reality is that Black people have not yet figured out how to play the game, and are not paying attention to the rule changes. Success of sorts has evaded us.
Let us seize the opportunity during this presidency to bring about a game change. By educating and empowering Black youth, the game can change. There is a widely accepted African proverb that I believe is more relevant today than ever before. It states, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” This means in basic language that the responsibility of raising a child is not just an individual effort; rather, it is a community effort that shifts the responsibility of raising a child from an individual to a much larger family where everyone participates, especially the older children, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and even cousins.
It is imperative that Black youth be given the tools, knowledge and resources they need to deal with the real issues in today’s America. Again I do not want to be the harbinger of doom or the portender of gloom, but again I say that laws are coming down that will affect Blacks in ways never before seen or experienced. Far too many Black youth have had to find an identity to call their own.
Black youth have been seeking answers as to who they are, and what their God-given purpose is, which is why many Black youth have created and joined gangs; embraced the drug culture; created the hip-hop culture; and want to be athletes and entertainers, as opposed to becoming lawyers, doctors, politicians, ministers or community activists. Blacks are now tasked with the collective responsibility of taking the necessary steps in ensuring that the community has a solid village where Black youth can grow and thrive. It is the job and responsibility of the collective Black community to properly guide Black youth in their village.
Black people must take full responsibility for the Black youth in their own village and dedicate themselves to educating, equipping and empowering them until they see the change they want to see in this country – politically, socially, educationally and economically even under the most notable President of all times. While President Trump is having his political heyday, Blacks should be able to proudly say as in the words of the song made famous by Ole Blue Eyes—we did it our way.
Yvonne Sam

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