Obama=Reparations: Yeah Right

Obama=Reparations: Yeah Right
Or
Let’s Get Off Our Asses and Stop Waiting For A Handout

Millions have cheered the last couple of days because Sen. Barack Obama became the first black man nominated by a major political party for the presidency. We all watched the convention with awe as a black man took center stage and proclaimed to the world that he is ready to “be the man.” Many blacks (African-Americans, Negros, Colored folk, etc.) are beside themselves at the prospect of having a black president. Why? Does it mean we are finally equal with other races and nationalities? Will brother Obama finally make the apology to the blacks for slavery? Will he finally give us reparations? Will you finally get your forty acres and a mule (promised to freed slaves after the Civil War)? Hell No!!! That is not his job first of all and secondly I don’t think he really cares. Barack Obama is just another politician out to get his by any means necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited by all of this, but I am also careful not to get my feelings hurt either. We, blacks, must prepare ourselves for the impending let down and take a stand at last to reclaim what is rightfully ours; our unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Yes, blacks have been through a lot. But so have other nations of people who were able to overcome their hardships. Native Americans had their land stolen from them and then forced to live in the worst corners of it. Not all, but several tribes have turned their misfortune into success by opening casinos and taking all of your money, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods notably. Or how about the early Irish immigrants, who managed to bully their way into politics and come to dominate the NYPD. In early NYC, through the political machine known as Tammany Hall, the Irish grabbed onto power and staked their claim as people worthy of better. The Jews, who everyone hates for some strange reason, have shown how to make lemonade from lemons. In the early Jewish immigrant history, they were not allowed to go to any hospital, so they built their own-The Jew’s Hospital opened June 5, 1855-which we know today as Mount Sinai Hospital, one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the country. These nations invested in real estate and kept it in the family, looking to the success of future generations. They maintained their community as a means to survival. Just look at all the ethnic groups who were disenfranchised and turned things around for themselves. Read and open your minds to the “real world” and see how it has been done before and we can do it again. Not waiting for government to do it or for some handouts, but through the unbreakable wall of community they persevered.
I believe that a change is long overdue. We have sat on our hands for too long and accepted the crap thrown our way. We must first admit that we have no sense of community and work towards rebuilding our communities. No longer can we assume the roles portrayed in the media, we are not ghetto and we are not the dregs of society. Enough is enough; we must join together and take a stand to rectify the last 450 plus years of socio-political-economic oppression. This is the new revolution. If we want true equality, we must take it. We must break the bonds of ignorance and begin to develop our history and who we are as a people.
Deprogramming yourself is the first step. Who are you really? Are you the funny comedian with a sitcom? Are you the future top draft in the NBA or NFL? Maybe you are the successful black bitch, or the drug dealing thug on the street corner. Or are you the next gangsta rapper? Is that all that we can aspire to? I think not. Why do we not inspire ourselves and children to be more? What happened to the dreams of past revolutionaries who died fighting for our futures? Please don’t tell me the dreams died with them. We must resurrect the ideas of a successful black community and take action to make it so. Reshape your view of yourselves and the world around you; you are more than “they” say you are.
Each one teach one, can still be applied today. Sharing our knowledge with one another is the only way to better ourselves. We must also instill an attitude of self governing, where we hold each other in the community responsible for their actions. By doing this we can put an end to the aimlessness of youths wandering the streets and put them back in the education system. We can give every child several parents to raise them. We can keep our young men out of the prison system and give them a better future. The new gang in the hood would be made up of neighbors joined together to keep the community safe and on the path to social and economic independence. When we reestablish our communities, we can rebirth the black business, clean up the streets, provide a responsible future for our children and begin to live at peace.
Ask yourself if you are ready for change, not just a black face in the white house, but true change? It will not be easy, easy is doing nothing. Dedication and hard work will bring about the change we crave and need. I believe that Obama will be the next president, but have a hard time thinking that his success will mean success in the community. We must bring about that change and success. We must make a stand against the drug dealing on our blocks, the destruction of our businesses, the raping of our women and community, the emasculation and murder of our young boys and men. We must abandon the self-serving capitalist ideals that govern this nation we live in. We must rise above the greed and deception of our current policies and bring about a social reform that will bring fairness and equality to the people. The crabs in a barrel mentality, along with what the establishment has told us to be, has stifled our growth long enough, now is the time to uplift one another, to share our resources and pool our talents to bring about change and develop OUR COMMUNITY.

- J.B. Stevens