Rewriting the Black Narrative Our Way
Over the last several years there have been a number of my contemporaries that have been able to lucidly and effectively communicate the black narrative and what that means for blacks in America. I strongly believe that the communication of this narrative is extremely important to the process of developing strategies that can be implemented and executed successfully. What concerns me is that far too many of our leaders seem to be satisfied with simply presenting their perspective of the black narrative. They have become quite astute at telling our story and presenting our reality; however, what seems to be lacking is the development of plans and strategies that will facilitate black elevation and empowerment.
The black struggle is significantly more than a discussion of issues and the assessment of blame. I agree that the narrative must be made clear to the masses. I am not very interested in presenting the black narrative to whites as a collective, because I don’t believe in the quest to recruit the help of whites or other non-blacks for the purpose of assisting blacks in our fight for empowerment. I believe that it is counterproductive in a number of ways. I believe that it is extremely important for blacks to come together to build and develop our economic system through which elevation and empowerment will emerge.
It is time for blacks to relinquish their perpetual quest to assimilate into a system that has been perpetually hostile toward us. It is time for blacks to abandon the need and desire to earn the approbation and validation of whites. This means that before we can topple the mountain of white supremacy, we must exorcise our own demons. We must learn to appreciate and embrace our own brilliance. We must come to the understanding that rewriting the Black Narrative our way is essential to true empowerment. Empowerment begins as a state of mind that acknowledges the power and gifts within.
White Supremacy as a Concept not a Reality
There has been an ever increasing cognizance of white supremacy and the impact that it has had on the black narrative. Those who have taken the time to study this institution of white racism are keenly cognizant of the multitudinous machinations through which this system of power systematically oppresses the black race. Once again, I believe that it is important for blacks to understand how white supremacy functions in their everyday world. Most blacks don’t have a lucid perspicacity of racism. They tend to view racism as individual snapshots of bigotry-driven incidents, rather than seeing the entire cohesive institutionalized system that virtually functions on auto pilot.
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Racism isn’t the act of a white supervisor showing favor to a white subordinate over a more qualified black one. Racism is the system of power in place that facilitates that type of behavior. In fact, racism rewards that type of behavior.
While acknowledging the existence of racism, it is important to not give this system absolute power or read more into its title than you should. White supremacy is an internal concept, it is not the reality of the world. In other words, white people are not supreme and neither are they superior in any way. The thought of supremacy is their internal concept and it explains their actions and focus — it is the definition of the aggregate expectation of the sum total of every machination it perpetuates. It is their method of fighting for dominance and the perpetuation of their race. What blacks must understand is that it is our compliance that affords white supremacy its power. Without black compliance, white supremacy means absolutely nothing. This is the message that must become clear to blacks as a collective. For far too long, blacks have bought into the myth that compliance and assimilation would bring about peace and harmony. The truth is that the black race represents the potential extermination of the white race, so absolute peace between mortal enemies is not a realistic expectation. The only way that we will experience peace is through power. We must possess the power to protect our interests. We must possess the power to potentially retaliate to any negative actions perpetuated against us.
Rewriting the Black Narrative Our Way
After we finally realize that white supremacy has no power that we don’t give it, we will begin to invest that power in ourselves. We will begin to share the image of a race of people with unlimited potential. We will begin to rewrite our narrative through the lens of a paradigm that is reflective of our absolute greatness and our royal bloodlines. When we begin to tell our own story through our own perspective, we will begin to experience the power that is associated with the connection with our authentic identity. It is in finding this identity that we will uncover our purpose, and it is our purpose that will fuel our passion and drive toward the absolute greatness that is in our destiny.
We must learn to be unapologetic about our love of and for ourselves. We must never become consumed with concern about how our self-love may offend others. Once we learn to love ourselves, we will actually discover that the love we thought we were extending to other groups was not love at all, but a plea for validation and acceptance. You see, you can never truly love anyone else until you have developed an authentic love for yourself. As long as you think your skin is too dark, or your nose is too wide, you still have not learned to love yourself. You must learn to love who you are without fault.
Once self-love has entered the equation, there will be a natural yearning for something better. Authentic love, especially self-love, demands the best. The reason that the vast majority of blacks have taken no decisive action to elevate themselves is that self-hatred has convinced them that they are not worthy of it. Self-love demands the best from within.
Self-love will demand that you work with others who look like you for the betterment of the collective. It will allow you to begin the process of writing a new narrative — a narrative of power, elevation and progression. Rewriting the black narrative our way, seizes the power of self-reliance and self-awareness, and it releases blacks from the need to be validated or accepted by any other group. Rewriting our narrative unleashes us from the shackles of psychological bondage and the feelings of inferiority, and it plants us firmly on the platform of exceptional greatness. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace, Ph.D.