By AL CALLOWAY

Some of you may not see it that way, but where I’m going with this is actually very positive. Because we’ve got to root out actions that foster containment in order to make way for a thriving future. Therefore, a critical focus on black leadership at this time is essential. Too many black people in leadership positions curry favor from the “white supremacy/system culture” as beggars, poor negotiators and informers.

As a result of this tendency to dwell in containment and with satisfaction, what positives that do accrue to black communities are akin to a drop in a bucket and way late. Politicians and consultant-types get ‘thirty pieces of silver” rewards for going along with policies that benefit downtown interests, resulting in economically and socially thriving areas surrounding poor and near poor stratified black neighborhoods.

I have been loud and clear many times in this space lamenting about our black churches depositing all that money in white banks downtown every Sunday night and Monday morning, when they could organize as consortiums and own banks. Well, I’m glad to hear that some preachers have established a national group based in Maryland and a Miami-Dade branch is working on that bank concept.

With the beginnings of a black elite rising out of Reconstruction era established black colleges and universities, also came a division within the black caste that was/is at bottom of America’s class system that is called “a democracy.” School curriculums steeped in European lore soon provided groundwork for black students to imitate whites by developing black Greek letter secret groups.

Renowned black scholar, civil rights and Pan-Africanist leader, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois was an Alpha, the first black Greek organization. DuBois believed blacks needed a “talented tenth” to move blacks out of ignorance and poverty. Booker T. Washington and later Marcus Garvey touted black self reliance through en masse economic development as key to liberation. Unfortunately, that terrible squabble has yet deterred mass black economic development.

While Greek organizations are huge on black college campuses and among black students at white dominated schools, their estrangement from the black diaspora as DuBois’ “talented tenth” is so striking that it is actually unconscionable! Theirs is that talent that escapes inner cities for suburbia, but through guilt will hold small annual scholarship affairs benefiting purchase of books or providing transportation for two or three black students.

How dare these college trained black men and women to punk out, to duck out on their responsibility to black people and, as a result, to the American common weal. You cannot hide; the world can see you and know what you are not doing for your own people while you masquerade as Greeks, a troubling state of mind. You want to be Eurocentric? Fine! Now with that frame of mind, do something positive for black people.

I for one would like to know why this seeming amorphous entity called the Congressional Black Caucus exists. What does it do? Is it quasi-secret or maybe just quasi-political but mostly social? It appears as though a reelection cache held by Congressional House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, is what really controls black Democratic congresspersons. So, black elected officials actually punk out on many issues concerning blacks if white Democrats want their silence.

At the state, county and local political levels controls are similar: downtown interests foot campaign bills and thereby basically control how black politicians react to political and economic issues, including what to say when and how to vote. Most black politicians are punks because they are both lazy and scared to organize their voting districts. The vast majority of eligible voters in black districts don’t vote most of the time, and, except maybe through a rumor, know little or nothing about candidates.

Some definitions of a punk in “The Oxford American Dictionary” are as follows: “punk – a worthless person or thing . . . an inexperienced person; a novice.” So black people have got to stop allowing these punks to lead us! We’ve got to change. What’s happening is not working for our people.

Al.Calloway715@gmail.com