Number Nine: Perpetuation of Division
This step we do to ourselves, but I have to believe those who mean to oppress the Black community smile when it happens. The struggle the Black community faces, if we are to over simplify the situation, is simply: The Community vs. Those with Money.
- Those w/ Money have the advantage of…MONEY! They can buy what they want and UNLESS THE PEOPLE ORGANIZE, can’t be stopped. They can claim things like imminent domain and when the people have a protest against it, they always win because a protest will always lose to a plan!
- The Community has a distinct advantage of…PEOPLE! They have more people and can use local political/economic organizing to empower the populous with a movement that favors the majority over the financially favored few. However, we always find a way to mess it up don’t we? You know how we do…here are some of the things we will do to divide ourselves:
- Compare your activism to that of another because you think you are the best activist in the world.
- You find yourself not talking about issues, but demonizing someone else in the Black community because you would rather gossip than empowerment.
- You find yourself discrediting youth because you feel they are too young and they haven’t done enough to appease your ego.
- You find yourself discrediting the elders who have come before you because you feel they are out of date, old, and you think they just don’t know how it is anymore.
- You think someone is too rich to participate in the discussion and they are out of touch simply because they are successful.
- You think someone is too poor and their lack of success is clear because they have yet to clear the ladders of success you have climbed.
- You don’t like someone because they are from a particular part of the city (West Side, East Side, North Side, South Side, etc.).
- You demonize people who disagree with you on trivial issues, but still are in line with you on the ultimate goal but might just have a different opinion of how to get there.
- You have a hard time trusting someone new and are always looking for a way to distrust people who are new to the community or looking to get involved for the first time.
If you see yourself in any of the above, you are part of the problem. Good news: You can stop doing these divisive things and start working to come together to get things done.
In Matthew 12:25, Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
I wish the Black community would heed these words. The ONLY currency the community has is UNITY…if we give that up we lose…every time!
Ryan C. Mack’s ministry is money. Check out his book Living in the Village.
