By LUCIUS GANTT

On Jan. 20, in a lot of ways, African Americans will revisit their past. “Back in the day” will become today.

Similar to the period of governmental and legal systems labeled Jim Crow, it appears black people in the United States today should consider preparing themselves for increased targeting of outspoken blacks in government and in black communities, increased suppression of African-American votes and voting rights, increased physical violence against blacks by both officers of the law and lawless members of hate groups including neo Nazis, white supremacists, white nationalists and modern day Ku Klux Klansmen, and increased defacto segregation and isolation.

Yes, the color of your skin will have far more significance than the color of your eyes.

The friends, neighbors and co-workers that you described, for the most part, as supporters, benefactors, comrades, colleagues and buddies cast their ballots in the last U.S. presidential election for candidates that abused women, despised Latinos, and suggested that America should deny people of certain religious faiths.

Votes cast against Hillary Clinton were merely disguised votes against the black man she sought to use to her political advantage by encouraging him to work very hard to turn out black votes for her. That man was your “hero,” African-American President Barack Obama.

America’s current ultra-conservative political leaning is nothing new and it is not unique to the United States. Britain, Italy, Israel and many other so-called Western nations have chosen to unite their votes, unite their economies and unite their minds to oppose blacks, immigrants, Muslims, poor, gay, disabled and other groups.

Ask the Native Americans if today feels like back in the day, when their sovereign land was taken at will by any pale face that wanted it, back then for farming and homesteading, and today for pipelines. When exploiters, oppressors, colonialists and neocolonialists decide to “go back,” we, the righteous people of the world, need to fight back.

How do we fight back? One good way is to go back ourselves.

We need to go back to working together, helping each other, loving each other and depending on each other.

The capitalist devil is a greedy devil. They don’t want to redistribute the world’s wealth, they don’t want to share the wealth. They want to control the wealth, the money and the power.

It would behoove African Americans to do for self and do for our community. We have to understand that we need to put ourselves, our needs and our issues first. We have to do everything we can to keep and circulate our money in our community. We have to start more black businesses and patronize more black businesses. We have to recognize our glorious history and appreciate our wonderful culture. And, we need to stop all of this marching and go back to doing more boycotting.

Don’t act like you’ve never heard of a bus boycott.

Boycott! Don’t put your money into banks that redline your neighborhood and refuse to give loans to you and your businesses. Don’t shop at stores that don’t hire workers that look and think like you.

Finally, quit putting your faith in hand- picked political and community leaders that will sell you out for a title or a pat on the head.

Our people, young and old, have to read more than Twitter and Facebook posts. Give your children more books and fewer toys. A child can make a toy but if they are well read they can make a life, make a nation and make a better world.

Don’t be all sad because it seems the deck is stacked against you. Reach your ashy Black hands out to your brothers and sisters in Africa, South America the Caribbean and other places and you will find people that love you, want you and respect you and will do business with you.

You don’t have to depend on the president-elect and his cronies to save you. Save yourself by working with your own kind.

There are more people of color on earth than there are people with no color.

Contact Lucius Gantt at www.allworld- consultants.net, “like” The Gantt Report page on Facebook.