Enough Said... It Is Time to Act
By: Richard Rowe
 Black Men/African American men, there comes a time when everything has been said, and talked about, and debated, and talked about and debated ad nauseam. I contend without equivocation that that time has come. Really, what else can we talk about? What else can we say that has not been said by someone from our glorious past or from someone in our auspicious present?
Don't we know that the solutions to our present problems have been articulated, intimated, delineated and authenticated? It is no longer necessary to speculate what the problems are, or insinuate who is responsible
for the problems or pontificate what the solutions to our problems are.
There comes a time when the talking must cease and planned, deliberate and unmitigated action must begin. If we do not act now, given everything that has happened to us, then not only will we sink deeper into a permanent state of lethargy, but what is even more ominous is that no one will ever take us seriously.
Furthermore, we will begin to rationalize our inaction as a brief aberration and as normal behavior, which would be tragic. Every physical, mental, social and political indicator suggest African American people are sinking deeper into a Culture of Survival which was described by a brilliant poet, writer, activist and publisher, Haki Madhubuti many years
ago in his classic book, Earthquakes and Sunrise Missions
Some of the obvious characteristics of adults oriented in a Cultural
of Survival include but are not limited to the following:
- Unsystematic and definitely not organized unless it is for someone else.
- Backwardly individualistic - me, mine mentality.
- Does not read or study after "formal" education.
- Works eight-hours for someone else.
- Welfare conscious - get it for nothing attitude.
- Not family oriented. Regards mate as property. Low rates children. Generally singleminded, does not want children or responsibility of homelike.
- Not critical or analytical. Prefers not to think for self.
- Consumer junkie. If it's advertised, they got it. Cannot distinguish wants from needs.
- Loves social and nightlife, i.e., lives for the weekend, love social conquest.
- Drug dependency - cigarettes, alcohol, hard drugs, etc.
- Politically inactive. Crisis oriented. Reacts.
While I could list other characteristics offered by Brother Madhubuti, I am certain that the aforementioned list offers concrete reasons why we must act, and act now. Acting requires the unmitigated resolve to move beyond a state of mere survival to a high level of self, group and community functioning. Moreover, our acting must be predicated on the undaunted pursuit of knowledge and an unwavering faith in our ability to succeed against the odds. Again, the solutions to our problems have been provided.
I contend that we must do the following:
To solve our challenges with racism, we must read and study the solutions offered by Dr. Francis Cress Welsing, Dr. Bobby Wright, Andrew Hacker and Dr. Cornel West.
To solve our economic plight lets read and study the solutions offered by E. Franklin Frazier, Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, Robert Wallace, Dr. Claude Anderson and Reginald Lewis.
To save our children lets read and study the solutions provided by Dr. Amos Wilson, Dr. Asa Hillard, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, Dr. Barbara Sizemore and Marian Wright Eldeman.
To restore our psychological health lets read and follow the solutions given to us by Dr. Na'im Akbar, Dr. Price Cobbs, Dr. Maxie Collier, Dr. John Chissell and Dr. Wade Nobles.
To transform the educational system and enhance the academic achievement of our children, we must read and adopt the myriad solutions provided by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Dr. Janice Hale Benson and Neil Postman.
To restore our group esteem, we must read and implement the solutions laid out for us by Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, Dr. Maulana Karenga, Dr. Molefi Asante, Dr. James Turner, Sonia Sanchez, Maya Angelou and Dr. Edward Robinson.
To design an accountability system for Black Leadership, we can find a system already developed by Harold Cruse, Dr. Earl Ofari and Dr. Cornel West.
To strengthened our spiritual resolve, lets read and follow the solutions provided by Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Cain Hope Felder, Dr. James Cone, Dr. Michael Wright Dyson. Rev. Floyd Flake, Minister Louis Farrakhan and Father Clemens.
To reclaim our Black manhood, we must read and internalize the solutions given to us by the powerful examples of Paul Robeson, Dr. Acklyn Lynch, Haki Madhubuti, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Nelson Mandela.
To act, we need only to act on the plans already handed to us by Dr. Chancellor Williams , Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, Elijah Muhammad, Booker T. Washington, Dr. Claude Anderson and Marcus Garvey.
All of the foundational work has been done. All of the analytical deliberations have been completed. All of the critical debates have been debated, and all the challenges have been carefully reviewed and addressed. All of the studies have been studied and all of the "State of the States" have been stated. All the great minds listed above have paved the way and pointed us in the direction of optimal self and group functioning. It is time to act decisively and deliberately.
Tomorrow is here and the future is now. We can no longer wait for others to do what we must truly do for ourselves. Black Men/African American men, to act is never an easy proposition, but to not act will surely place our destiny in the hands of those who prefer reaction to pro-action, and who will never, never take us seriously.
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