The Rationale For Establishing an Official PRESIDENT OF BLACK AMERICA

MOVEMENT TO BRING BACK BLACK
January 12, 2008

The backdrop for what is presented in this ‘Black Paper’ is to be found in several papers I wrote previously as part of the process we dubbed the “Movement to Bring Back Black,” which has been ongoing since our seminal meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio back on December 9, 2006 called by my friend and colleague, James ‘Jim’ Clingman. Those who have read the documents referred to will recognize this paper as the logical extension of the theme presented there; and those who have not done so already, are advised to read them prior to reading this piece. The papers in question are:

1) From RHETORIC to ACTION
2) Bring Back Black Strategic Plan Draft
3) UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE ARE
4) AS WE GO FORTH FROM THIS PLACE

All of these papers can be found on my web site www.amefika.com, or will be placed there in the near future.

In “From Rhetoric to Action” I sought to call Black Nationalists to account for producing solutions to the problems confronting our people. I explained the concept of what I named the “Paramount Chieftaincy,” and its historic role in Black affairs, including the fact that whoever is perceived to hold this position was for all intents and purposes, the President of Black America. I gave a brief synopsis of individuals who have ascended to the position of Paramount Chief in recent history, what propelled them into the position, and what the ideological orientation of each claimant was. I posited that whoever was perceived as Paramount Chief (PC), was in the best position to influence the thinking and resulting actions of our people, and therefore Black Nationalists had an obligation to compete for and lay claim to that status. The following quote from that paper sums up the principal point I wanted to make:

“Now is the time for Nationalists to move from rhetoric to ACTION! We must prove that ours is more than a rhetorical concept, and most importantly, that we Nationalists are more than theorists and rhetoricians. We must demonstrate that we are capable of conceptualizing, developing, implementing, and conducting programs and ventures that can improve the living conditions and life chances of our people, those at home, and those abroad. It is time for us to become the party IN power, and retire the integrationists/assimilationists to the ‘back-rows’ from which vantage point the “loyal opposition” spews forth its rhetoric in reaction to action taken by the power-wielders.”

In the Bring Back Black Strategic Plan Draft I went into greater detail to clarify what our Movement is about, and how we would go about the business of guiding our people to victory at long last. I explained that “Bring Back Black” is a “movement” of loosely aligned individuals and groups who share the Nationalist ideology, while the proposed “NATIONALIST Black Leadership Coalition” (NBLC) would be an organization within the vanguard of that movement, for those who do not already have an organizational affiliation. A critical feature of the BBB Movement and the NBLC would be the caliber and quality of leadership that would evolve from among us. The following quote from that document explains the vision of the Movement to Bring Back Black:

“Our Movement to Bring Back Black will bring about the emergence of a new brand and caliber of Black leadership that will restore confidence to the Black Collective in their leaders’ ability and resolve to restore us to our rightful place among the constellations of Races and nations on Earth, and ethnic groups in America. Accountability for desired results will be the watchword for NBLC leaders and spokespersons, and wherever the organization operates will be declared a ‘no excuse zone!’ Failure will not be an option”

“Our vision is of a transformed Black community where our people radically improve the quality of their lives and surroundings. We will accomplish this by implementing programs and ventures designed specifically for the unique needs of people of African descent – without apology! This will result in the complete elimination of the “slave-mentality” and dependence on the gratuity of others that it promotes. We will cease to be the ‘weakest-link-in-the-chain’ or weakest ‘patch’ in the quilt-like fabric of American society, and that of the world.”

The strategic plan presents a schematic of how we will go about the business of achieving our goals and objectives. Establishing the position of President Of Black America (POBA), and doing so in such a way as to guarantee that our Nationalist “candidate” emerges as the incumbent is absolutely essential to the eventual success of the process of transformation we have initiated! Every country or “nation-state” in the world has a “president” or chief executive by some other title; non-government organizations (NGOs) imitate or ‘shadow’ governments by adopting the same title(s) and similar structures for their entities. The NBLC must adopt this proven mechanism and apply it to our work.

In the paper “Understanding Where We Are” I sought to help the reader comprehend what being a “Nationalist” is in context. This involved not only defining Nationalism and related terms, but also distinguishing between different forms of nationalism, and the contrasting orientations of individuals who embrace each. I compared different strains of Nationalism to the different denominations and sects within various religions because our folks are far more familiar with religion than they are with ideology.

I laid claim to “PRACTICAL” Nationalism for those of us in the Movement to Bring Back Black, and most particularly for the NATIONALIST Black Leadership Coalition. This is tantamount to the U.S. Marines planting the American flag on Iwo Jima during World War II! Principal and best known among the contending strains of our ideology are the “cultural” Nationalists exemplified by our African-centered scholars and theoreticians.

I also made the point in that paper that neither the BBB as a movement, or the NBLC as a vanguard organization within that movement, has any interest in destroying America. We neither hate nor love white people, but we do love and cherish Black folks! We see no conflict between loving our own people which is a necessity, and not hating non-black people which would be a severe burden on us. It was also in that paper that I again sounded the alert to black folks that whites are setting the stage for yet another move to colonize Africa, and this time they intend to literally occupy our Motherland! As I stated in my book “Reflections on My Pilgrimage,” this time they will do so without having to fire a shot, they will simply buy the place!

“As We Go Forth From This Place” is the title of the closing charge that I presented to our Birth-Giving Convention for the NBLC in Kernersville, North Carolina on October 13, 2007. In that speech I sought to get our people to acknowledge that in our present condition, we are sick, and must decide on a regimen that can bring about a cure for our dis-ease. I pointed out that our ancestors were not slaves when they were captured and brought here in chains, but were converted into slaves by use of a diabolical process extending over a number of decades and affecting many generations. To undo the damage done to us by that process will require yet another process, and the BBB and NBLC are critical components of that engagement.

But a process is only as good or effective as the people who devise, implement, and conduct it. The question before us is whether or not we are the people who possess the combination of qualities necessary to win the victory we seek. I equated those of us in the BBB/NBLC Movement as the “remnant” referred to in the Biblical scripture, and called upon us to…”prove ourselves worthy of the celestial assignment” we have been given by our Creator and our Ancestors. The next phase of our process is to initiate and conduct a successful campaign to establish the position of President Of Black America, and reclaim the ‘Paramount Chieftaincy’ for the ‘Conscious’ element among the Black Collective.

Why Do We Need a President Of Black America?

In their present condition our people have had their racial-group self-esteem deflated. Our ‘vehicle’ has four-flat-tires, and a “doughnut” tire for a spare which itself is not fully-inflated! Black folks have reverted back to feeling ashamed of being black, and we have been reduced to turning on each other like the proverbial “ravening-wolves.” Black-on-black crime is rampant, and even the police are envious of the number of blacks being murdered by other blacks! Our women are unprotected and turning to each other and men of other races for consolation, companionship, and mates. Our children are increasingly raising themselves, and becoming the perceived predator element in American society. We are being set-up to be taken-down; it is just a matter of time if we do not hasten to change our self-destructive ways. Those who were supposed to be our leaders and purported to speak for us, have made it plain they no longer wish to be viewed as merely ‘black’ leaders, but as leaders who only happen to be black. They seek a constituency beyond or even outside of the black community. Where does that leave the masses of our people? Leaderless!!

Blacks collectively need a champion! We need a strong, unwavering voice to remind and reassure us of who we are and from whence we came. We need to be made aware not only of how great we once were as a people, but how great we are destined to become again! Black can still be beautiful, but only if WE make it so; not only are our children still young and black, but they are still as gifted as they ever were. Someone needs to remind them of that!!

The POBA would speak to the natural manhood instinctive to black men, and remind them that it was they who were “made in the image and likeness of God;” he or she would speak to black women and remind them that they are the mothers of humanity, that it is they who have rocked the cradles of civilization since time immemorial; and there is nothing in nature more highly esteemed than the Black Woman!!!

The POBA would speak to black boys and tell them that it is they who will inevitably be tomorrow’s leaders, and the time to prepare for that responsibility is today! He or she will speak to black girls and remind them that it is they who must give birth to and nurture our future generations, and if they fail, we will have no future!

The POBA will travel near, far and wide to exhort black people; he or she will echo the immortal words of the Great Marcus Mosiah Garvey when he told us to get…

“UP you Mighty Race, you can accomplish what you WILL!”

” We will be reminded that

“There is nothing common to man that man cannot do;”

and that the only proof one needs that humans can accomplish a thing, is that some human(s) have already done it! Our ancestors built the world’s first, greatest, and longest-enduring civilizations, but they had no monopoly on that ability; we share the same gene pool (and ‘DNA’) with them. The difference between them and us is one of WILL, not of innate CAPACITY.

Our President Of Black America will single-mindedly advocate and promote the best interests of black people, without reservation, without hesitation, without apology, and most important of all — without fear. He or she will have no interest in playing to the mainstream media, seeking photo opportunities, currying favor with political parties, multinational corporations, foundations, or philanthropists. His/her objective will be to build the capacity of blacks to do-for-self! The POBA will be the foremost cheerleader for Black America!!!

Like the Biblical Moses, our POBA will lead our people to the “promised-land” of self-reliance, self-determination, self-respect, and being in command and control of our own destiny! The MASTERS of our Racial fate; the CAPTAINS of our Racial Soul!!

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Comments

  1. Our destination lies in our hands. Once we are clear on this particular point, it will be extremely difficult for us to be distracted. A president of Black America is a necessary step towards nation-building. That image will be a beacon that states we do not need white approval/participation to accomplish the goals and aspirations our ancestors so desperately fought to be our (their future) reality: A nation we can call our own.

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