In the mist of social unrest, brought on by the devastating events and subsequent grand jury decision in Ferguson, Mo, I implore people (specifically Black people) to strategize, brainstorm and work together.
I need people that truly understand the economy, business, law, politics, etc., and how it all works, to come together. I need people with all different kinds of educational backgrounds (not just “traditional”) to team up, rally the people, and help develop a plan that will actually have a fighting chance.
If you’re telling me that we shouldn’t shop on Black Friday; I’m with it, but obviously so much more has to be done. People have to understand the true impact of not doing so and there has to be a plan in place that goes beyond refraining from shopping for just a day or two. If we’re going to boycott we need to boycott for xxx amount of days (remembering that the Montgomery bus boycott lasted for over a year) and have an understanding of how that will affect the economy, laws, politics, business and more.
We also need clear alternatives, because people have needs. Should we recreate not one but many thriving “Black Wall Street” type of communities? How do we start? How will it work? And, how can we protect those communities from resulting in the same fate as the original Black Wall Street. How do we keep this from affecting our White allies? More importantly, exactly where should I shop, bank, invest? If you’re telling me to invest in Black business and pull my money from certain banks, etc. then I need to have a good idea of exactly where I can go and who I can trust (because opportunists are real). Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely one to do my own research but…”the challenges of conflict and injustice in the world can often seem overwhelming. Although many of us would like to take a greater part in promoting positive change, it can be difficult to find good information and know how we can effectively contribute.” <source>
So, if we really want to bring about change we need the Martins, Sojourners, Malcolms and Angelas of our community to step up as leaders. We need to put our heads together and lay out a timeline and set of goals, and explain why it all has a fighting chance of working!
