Aba Forson
An Open Letter to Black Leaders, Black Preachers & Black Pundits. Obama is not the Black Messiah and I doubt a Messiah (black or otherwise) will show up anytime soon to solve the problems in our community. I am so tired of the begging, whining, complaining and cajoling from our so called leaders and the black commentariat directed at President Obama. My question to all of them is; what have you done for our people lately – or – in the last 25 years before Mr. Obama was elected?
Have you created any enterprise level businesses? Have you created a national system of education that is being deployed in our communities nationwide to correctly teach our children the fundamentals and advance levels of math, science, and our-story (as opposed to his-story)? Have you created any enterprise level technical or mechanically inclined entities that are changing the dynamics of businesses and how we interact socially and culturally? What about creating banks and other financial institutions that promote trade and commerce within the Diaspora and Africa and with indigenous Africans (a continent that contains 70% of the world’s resources)? And the last question I would ask them is – since you haven’t done any of the aforementioned, then what the hell have you been doing?
Over 70% of all households in our communities are now single-parent households. Most of those households are young teenage mothers raising babies whom were themselves raised by young teenage mothers, whom were themselves raised by young teenage mothers. We have 12 year old mothers, 25 year old grandmothers and 38 year old great grandmothers as the majority population within our communities. We have a 50% high school dropout rate in our communities. Homicide rates in our most weary communities are at levels one would associate with some areas of Iraq or Afghanistan. These problems existed long before Mr. Obama was elected President. Yet you so called black leaders and pundits complain, bitch and moan everyday about what Obama hasn’t done about this issue or that issue.
Every year you so called black leaders and pundits promote events, workshops, seminars, and conferences (both religious and secular) you invite the usual talking heads (Jackson, Farrakhan, Smiley, West, Watkins, Dyson, et. al) to discuss the many issues that affect our communities and every year the issues in our communities become exponentially worse. Your meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences have been taking place since the mid ‘60’s (over 40 years!) and every year crime, illiteracy, poverty, drug abuse and socio-economic dependency has become more entrenched within our communities. Yet all of you direct your outrage at President Obama for, in your opinion, not directly addressing the issues that all of you have been ineffective in addressing for the last 40+ years.
The black clergy has no cover either. The black clergy continue to promote a religious lifestyle that effectively cuts them and their members off from the people that require the most help and attention. The black clergy continues to promote a Christian worldview that was taught to our people on the slave plantations in America. Common sense dictates that a group of people that have beat you, killed you, raped you, and enslaved you is not going to teach or freely give to you the keys to your liberation and salvation (the aforementioned is true even for our Muslim brothers and sisters). But the Black Clergy has suspended common sense in favor of blind faith and obedience to euro-christian dogma, theology and the euro-christian deity. The vast majority of Black preachers hoop, holler and spit fiery and emotional sermons on Sundays and do little to nothing to promote programs and projects that would bring economic, spiritual and cultural freedom to the poor and disenfranchised within their own communities. They have taken the place of the slave master by promoting a religious-proletariat way of life for our people.
There is absolutely no reason why we cannot create an infrastructure within our communities to support initiatives, programs and/or projects that would effectively address the issues related to education, business development, trade and commerce and socioeconomic development. There is no reason why the aforementioned infrastructure cannot produce the next Martin Luther King, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Mays or Barack Obama. I invite anyone; black leaders, pundits, clergy, bloggers and/or commenter to challenge me as to why this can’t be done. I also challenge this same black leaders, pundits and clergy to stop complaining to and about this President, or future President about issues that all of you have failed to effectively address in over 40+ years. Enough Obama bashing already!
Please rate this artcle
I agree with you on the abysmal performance of African leaders for several decades post-independence. However, though there are false prophets and religious leaders around( quacks are present in every profession), I don’t agree with the way you describe our Christian God, as “the euro-christian deity.” I have come to know and worship Him personally, and thus might call Him my Afro-Christian Savior. Try and be considerate when expressing your frustrations about the performance of African leaders.
On the whole, the article is informative, and quite critical.
All the best!
I agree with a lot of what you have said.Where we part company is when you chastise black for moaning about Obama.If he is one of us then it is fitting for black people to expect more from him. It is a betrayal of mammoth proportion to think that a black man in the white house and impotent to take a stand for his people. In my opinion I think he is a disgrace and no better than his predecessors. I am keen to know what you are doing to address the issues you raised and to what black organisation(s) you sudscribe to or support.These leaders etc have stuck their necks out and at least kept our issues in the public domain. Economics is the problem and when you do not control the economy it is very difficult without a collective approach. I would recommend a little humility and foresight before you go rating on though.
Mr Obama is a good, competent president. He will always receive his healthy share of criticism from people not in agreement with him. He manages the USA – and does it well. Treat the criticism for who it comes from.
The same cannot be said of African leaders, unfortunately. Jacob Zuma is the worst president South Africa has seen in 100 years and Africa is still suffering because of Robert Mugabe’s antics. A concern is that their own people elect these leaders and keep them there – how is this possible? And what is wrong with a society where men make babies and leave women to raise them, and woman allow this to happen?
Something has to change within the minds of Africans to take responsibility for their own lives and fate.
This is a great artile. Well composed and grammartically correct. It is thought provoking and we all must be held liable to some of the problems facing Africa in particular. We all in our little ways can effect change. No blame game. No code naming. All of us must play our part well and together we will see Africa on the spot. God bless us all