Can I Be Honest About "Us"?

It has been said that if you want to hide something from Black People just write it down or put it in a book and you surely will. I hope that does not hold true for all those who read this writing which is poured out from the depths of my heart to the Black Community worldwide. I still believe in the written word to communicate information and its use for study as the prophets, scribes, and authors of old before me. I humbly request you take the time to read the words put forth and give them sincere consideration. Thank you. 

    As I reviewed the state of the Black community of people worldwide I discovered some things that are sorely disappointing. Wherever there are Black folks on the Earth the most violence enacted against them is from other Black folks over "money, religion, or politics", and on a larger scale overall than just "the hood" but of which I can only describe as "global gang war genocide". Not only that, but the "white" hands of European, American, and Russian powers control, dictate, or dominantly influence their economies and politics even in Africa. In this year of 2015 A.D. here in the United States of America we see racial social injustice on a daily basis that goes back to the beginning of slavery even up to the present day for the last 152 years since the "Emancipation Proclamation" which legally freed the slaves. 

     We still have yet to unite while continuing to divide by petty jealousies, scandals among our leaders, tribalism, chauvinism, feminism, opposing political allegiances, philosophies, and differences of religion. As I carefully looked over the landscape of Black people I also saw those who claim to be "Pro-Black" or "Conscious" spend more time attacking other Black people and calling them racial epitaphs more than White people do. Rather than us engaging in productive passionate debate and the exchange of ideas it seems we always devolve into "ego tripping" and playing the "dozens" against one another before others who see us behaving as fools. 

    While we are being globally dominated by others at home and abroad we spend more energy and time fighting against one another instead of fighting for each other together. We don't even own or control the economies and politics in our neighborhoods or of countries where we live as the original inhabitants, yet don't fight against those who control these things because of our divisions and ethnic low self-esteem. Yes, I said you have "ETHNIC LOW SELF-ESTEEM" Black People. If you didn't you wouldn't worship white people so much as subconsciously superior to you and patronize them or others over your own as well as allow their injustices against you without posing a united front against it. 

     Half of us run around talking about we are "awake" when we're really sleep walking, because if we were awake we would unify and mobilize to take back our own communities to establish real "Black Power", and also defend one another against racist aggression. Not only have we been divided so as to cause our fall but we refuse to help each other get up collectively because we are too superficial individually. How "conscious" can you truly be when you are so "unconscious" to this truth? How "pro-black" are you really when the very behavior you routinely engage in only serves "pro-white" interests and the agenda of "White Supremacist"? I refuse to stay down, so let's help each other up and go forward together.

     I've personally been called a "coon, nigger / nigga, deceived by the white man, told I need to wake up" and other terms or references by my own Black people far more than any others. In fact, it's been a relatively long time since a White person actually personally called me any racial slur, but I can log onto the internet on any social website to have a discussion with other Black people and it doesn't take long before an abundance of insults are flying. We seem to make up more terms to put down our own people than have been made up against us. A new term (at least new to me) I've been seeing or hearing lately is "Negropeans", and we've even resurrected some older terms which are used gratuitously in our ignorance such as the word "agent" to signify a "sellout" who is covertly among us but working against us in the interest of White Supremacy. I myself have used the term "coon" to reference such behavior or where I felt it was appropriate based on who I'm dealing with. I'm not saying some of these terms don't have their proper place, but among us they are overused and abused against others just because they don't agree with us or we don't like them. That is childish and stupid. 

    Ironically, many don't know the definitions for most of the terms so frequently used to put Black people down which were originally used against us by others. Recently I wrote a blog titled "What Exactly Is A Coon?" (http://ijwest.blogspot.com/2015/06/what-exaclty-is-coon.html) to impart some history and definition on it. It was no surprise at how many people didn't know but thought it was a reference to the animal known as a "RACCOON". The ignorance of that was almost laughable to me but it showed the shameful level of our lack of knowledge and understanding in false assumptions to our own detriment. Do you know how intelligent a raccoon is? It is one of the most intelligent animals in the world, and is not even black. Many just assumed because it looks like it is wearing a bandit's mask and is known for stealing food from campers or craftily breaking into houses it automatically was used to refer to Black people as a slur. What does that type of thinking say about us? It seems to me that more times than not we attach the most negative images or ideas to a thing even when it is good or not harmful in order to find something bad or create a conspiracy against us. 

    The master stroke of "White Supremacy" philosophy is to keep us divided and cause us to turn on ourselves without having to actively manage or coerce our fears and suspicions. So far it has succeeded and exceeded all expectations. Even on a global scale we see horrific murders and warfare between Black people in such places as West African Nigeria between Muslim and Christians. Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya in Eastern Africa along with South Africa are also experiencing religious, ethnic, and tribal conflicts that have led to bloodshed and created mass numbers of refugees fleeing for their lives. Sometimes we are so eager for peace that we will even allow destructive criminal street gangs to be accepted as makeshift peacekeepers; such as in the recent Baltimore riots over police brutality. After the riots ceased those same gangs went back to their violent criminal activities and raped, murdered, and burned a 16-year old Black girl they were suppose to be "protecting" (http://www.wbaltv.com/news/2-in-custody-in-killing-of-baltimore-teenager-found-in-fire/33530488). The Black Community's stupidity and gullibility cost her and us her life. Where is our outrage about that? 

    Just within the last 30-days I've looked at numerous videos online and seen such things as "The Coon Train" and "Crispy the doll" made to make fun of another Black man's dark skin by another Black man who claims to be uplifting his people and revealing to them "Hidden Colors". Admittedly, I did laugh and even shared the "Coon Train" videos when I saw them because I initially thought they were funny and had a hidden message in the repeating of what could be called classic "cooning arguments" such as "What about Black on Black crime", "All white peoples ain't bad", and "We is are own worst enemy." 

     I got the point of what he was trying to get over with those phrases and the dancing caricatures of many who I would also consider "coons" in the true since of the word. Then I saw the "Crispy" doll stuff and I begin to rethink my own position and check myself. I saw the viciousness and complete show of disregard for this other brother who once even had him in his home as a guest and supported him. I watched other videos of this same person and a few others too. The brother targeted as "Crispy" talked in the same kind of despicable and wicked way of one of our elder leading Black women with no respect at all. The betrayal I witnessed against one another and the immature behavior made me sick to my stomach and ashamed.

    I began to be very saddened by what I was seeing take place among these so called "brothers", "sisters", and leaders and then I repented of my own partaking and complicity in it even if it was but for a moment, but a moment too long. Recently one of our prominent leading personalities in the Black community who constantly promotes himself as a "Prince" of the movement he champions fell into very "un-royal" behavior with a woman, and once she exposed it publicly it became a scandal for which he responded by calling her a "maggot" while his followers rallied together behind him against her. 

     Not one Black community leader of note or repute who claims to know him personally ever spoke on her behalf nor corrected him publicly in the same manner he berated her. Many seem to act as if his behavior is excusable as one above reproach. At the same time, they gather around this woman as one caught in the act of sexual immorality to stone her to death while letting the other participant off free, and allowing him to assist in her stoning to cover their shame. These same people will condemn a spiritual leader or religious institution for the same things but hypocritically give their own a pass. 

     I go hard for my faith when attacked but I am tired of having to do that when it is unnecessary; especially with Black folks. As an avid Christian I walked away from the "Institutional / Conventional Church" structure so I could truly serve my God beyond the man made facade called "church" and do real ministry in service unto people in the community. What I've found so far are the same kinds of scandals, hypocrisy, dishonesty, swindling, immorality, lack of integrity, absence of character, politicking, jealousy, envy, strife, pettiness, narcissism among leaders, emasculation of men, disrespect for women, disregard for those truly in need, perpetual antagonism, covetousness, uncontrollable lust, outright filthiness, and a total lack of discernment. 

     I could have easily said more but I think you get the point. I didn't find this in the "White Community", though it surely exist there too, but I found it in the Black Community among those who often style themselves and others as "kings & queens". May I ask, "kings & queens" of what?! We aren't ruling over anything, to include ourselves, nor respecting one another as the royalty many of us claim to be or descend from. We call each other "NIGGA" and other terms too much to ever be able to do that. We are our own worst enemy, and no matter how much we deny it won't make it any less true.

    Black People, we cannot continue like this or we will be effectively wiped out of existence, if not at least cut down to insignificance. Even now as I speak our numbers are dwindling due to our increasingly high abortion rate and the increase of disease among us. We march and go nowhere. We sing and go nowhere. We give speeches and go nowhere. Where are we trying to go? Hell? It seems that way by the manner in which we are currently going. We have a preacher wanting a 65 million dollar private jet plane paid for by his congregants and supporters while his ministry is in one of the most impoverished communities of his metropolitan area. He would rather fly in style around the world costing thousands of dollars each trip than invest into helping rebuild and uplift his own community, but Black people keep supporting this pimping. 

     It is both extremely sad and disparaging at the lack of accountability among us in the Black Community. We're not respected or taken seriously because of it; which contributes to why we are treated so badly and looked down upon by others. If we keep letting things like this happen among us then we will continue to be in the state we're in until we are gone. We can no longer look to the past simply with eyes of nostalgia, but proudly as lessons from which to learn how to build our future. It's time for us to write new and better history for the oncoming generations to be proud of.  ~ Isaiah J. West