Wednesday, 4/30/97 ‘Firm foundation,’ spirituality are keys to
success of nation Family values, religion must be part of building
a healthy community
(Black community development) must be completed in public
school, industrial school and college. The most of it must be
completed in the effort of the Negro himself, in his effort to
withstand temptation, to economize, to exercise thrift, to
disregard the superficial for the real – the shadow for the
substance, to be great and yet small, in his effort to be patient
in the laying of a firm foundation, to grow in skill and knowledge
that he shall place his service in demand by reason of his
intrinsic and superior worth. This, is the key that unlocks every
door of opportunity, and all others fail. — Booker T. Washington,
address at unveiling of monument to Robert Gould Shaw, May 31, 1897
In my last column, I identified myself as a Black Nationalist.
Black Nationalism was defined as a positive affirmation of the
cultural, political, social, and economic identity of African
people. I wrote, "Black Nationalists claim only what is entitled to
all other sovereign people," and therefore organize African people
through the application of the principles of racial solidarity,
self-reliance, and self-determination. In this article, I hope to
explain how Black Nationalism can function in 1997 and beyond. The
above quote from Booker T. Washington is presented to illustrate
two points: first, that the nationalist call is a long-standing one
among black folk, and second, nation building is a long
pain-staking process beginning with "a firm foundation." Previously
I recognized Black Nationalism, in its most basic form, as a
sojourn of personal transformation in reaction to prevailing
Western assumptions. In continuing the dialogue begun two weeks
ago, I would like to look at the issues of spirituality, the family
unit, education and political independence as crucial to the
success of Black Nationalism. O mankind! We created you from a
single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes,
so that you may know one another not despise one another. Truly,
the most honored of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in
piety. (Koran, 49:13) Spirituality is an oft-overlooked subject in
most contemporary political discourse. However, it is the negation
of such a critical issue that is the center of many of our
problems. Before African people, or any people for that matter, can
come to terms with any earthly being, we must first reconcile our
relationship with God. Humans have submitted themselves to the whim
and will of other humans. As long as we allow our lives to be
controlled by imperfect beings, so shall we be subjected to
imperfection. Take African people in America for example. At one
point in our history we existed as free people in our own land.
Slavery and its dignities denied us the opportunity to submit
solely to the will of our creator. Instead of our master being God,
our masters were morally corrupt white men. The unholy system of
slavery sought to elevate whites to the level of gods (a
blasphemous act indeed) and demote Africans to the status of
sub-human. This irreverence existed for over 200 years, and with
the stroke of a pen in 1865 it was all supposed to cease? With the
benevolence of honest Abe, Africans were once again members of the
human family. Who is to say that other humans in the future won’t
come along and attempt to subject Africans or any other of God’s
people to similar degradation? We will never be free from
usurpations and perversions of divine authority as long as we use
man-made constructs as our guiding lights. The only source worthy
of our submission is God. God, the creator of the universe and all
that resides within, is all-knowing and established a system under
which humans could exist harmoniously, "so that (we) may know one
another not despise one another." Only with a philosophy imbued
with divine wisdom can the wickedness of racism, white supremacy,
and other forms of oppression be overcome. With our relationship
with God intact, it is important to re-establish strong familial
relationships. Strong family units are the second most essential
factor in the development of a vibrant Black Nation. The family is
the fundamental unit in any nation. Nations are only as strong as
their foundations, and the family is from whence all nations grow.
As the rate of black male incarceration and female single-headed
households explode at unprecedented rates, urgent action is
required. We black men must step forward to take responsibility for
our children, nieces and nephews, siblings and other relatives.
However, taking responsibility doesn’t mean taking over. Rather we
must share in the collective duty of community development
beginning on the most basic level, the family. I may not be
married, but I can foster healthy and respectful relationships with
women. It is imperative that Black Nationalism doesn’t give in to
patriarchy and heterosexism. We must redefine our idea of
masculinity. It must not be based on the European model of
domination and control: All members of the African community must
be equal partners in our shared destiny. Following God and family,
Black Nationalism must confront the issue of education. School
vouchers are an interesting proposal from a nationalist
perspective. It allows parents to reclaim their tax dollars and
redirect them to the school of their choice. Unfortunately this may
do more harm than good in the long run, because only the most
active parents will take advantage of this promising opportunity.
Children with attentive parents are likely to be whisked away to
more supportive academic environments, leaving the rest to languish
in rapidly deteriorating schools. A more viable and productive
solution is charter school reform. Under charter school reform,
parents, teachers and administrators collaborate in the development
of curriculum. Charter schools actively engage the black community
in establishing ownership of our children’s (and by extension our
own) future. As far as politics is concerned, we need to create our
own political parties. It is high time that African people
emancipate themselves from slavery to the Democratic Party. It
makes no sense for us to continue to give our vote to a party that
consistently takes it for granted. The 1996 presidential race
offers us all the evidence we need. Neither of the major party
candidates offered anything specific to address the concerns of
African people. Perhaps this is because of our own lack of
organization. We simply did not have an agenda that they were
forced to address. As an independent people, it is our
responsibility to develop our own policy agendas. So-called black
(or Afro-American or African American) studies centers and
departments must be the vanguard in this movement. They need to
devote critical study to the myriad of issues confronting our
people in America and throughout the world. It is not enough to
come up with solutions, and then toss them off to the Democrats and
Republicans to implement. No, the responsibility is ours, and ours
alone. Palmer is a fourth-year African American studies student.
Previous Daily Bruin story: Black Nationalism promotes concept of
racial solidarity, April 16, 1997