Jared from “Lies Before Breakfast” submitted this post called “Action” in response to our Mission Statement:
The Afrospear has the potential to be a powerful tool, which can be used to better our community. At the beginning of anything that is new, the possibilities of what I can do are in fact, limitless. However, there comes a time when a movement, social group, corporation, or faction must define its objectives, goals, strategic methods, and ideology. The primary purpose of this essay is to respond to some key questions raised in the Afrospear mission statement. The secondary goal is to begin a conversation or rather a process that will sharpen the spear. That is, from the cacophony of ideas and opinions that is the Afrospear, what core themes and actions will create the sharp, piercing point of change, which I believe these times and our mission call for.
What problems do we face, and what clear goals should we set to solve them? Where should our priorities lie?
The African Diaspora, is faced with a myriad of challenges. From Alabama to Darfur, from the Congo to Compton, the legacy of imperialism, slavery, and injustice challenge our people every day. Moreover, these challenges are merged with crisis that affects every human being on the planet, such as climate change and globalization. It seems at times that these challenges are insurmountable.
Yet the Afrospear must have a specific set of overarching purposes and ideology. We cannot, it seems, address all the issues that face our people. Although our community lacks the relevant and effective infrastructure needed to meet the challenges we face, we cannot afford to be too divergent in our courses of action. While we should be as diverse as possible in our ideas and thoughts, our actions must strike these challenges in unison. There are two issues that I think our community-need and to a lesser extent the political climate call us to act on.
The first is healthcare. Access to affordable healthcare should be a birth right of every American citizen. AIDS, STD’s, diabetes and other health issues disproportionately affect our community. Many members of our community do not have access to the care, preventative treatments, or medicines needed to combat health issues. On the economic front, today’s labor market is fluid and unstable, a health care system that weds access to healthcare to employment status is particularly worrisome. There is, for sure, a debate to be had as to which system (single payer vs. a hybrid system) we should adopt— and we can learn from our brothers and sisters in Canada the benefits/flaws of a single payer system. Either way, our actions should be to educate ourselves and our community about this most pressing issue. We must begin to organize and lobby for the creation of a universal healthcare system. That means demanding the candidates seeking office, our employers, churches, etc become active now.
The second priority where the Afrospear can be effective is challenging the entrenched leadership establishment of our community. By that I mean challenging members of the Congressional Black Caucus who don’t represent the interest of their constituents. Gerrymandering has left many in the CBC in safe districts, where they aren’t challenged and held accountable. The obvious example is, of course, “Dollar” Bill Jefferson, who won reelection despite a terrible voting record on black issues and allegations of corruption. Aside from cleaning out elements of the CBC this also means lifting up a new generation of leaders. It is fair to say that the attitudes, politics, and values of the younger element of our community differ substantively from our current leadership. Yet even, new leaders seem to pass through the same structures and channels that gave us the establishment we have today. Our new leaders should be reflective of the generation of people they will have to lead. Similarly, there should be diversity in the new leadership. Black nationalists, pan-Africanist, progressives, moderates, secularist, radicals, Marxists, should all have a place. Let’s revive the robust debate that once occupied our community’s discourse.
When should we band together? When should we break apart?
These questions are a lot harder to answer. In theory we should be united more often than not, as the same issues that affect me should in turn affect you. And although the two issues, healthcare and leadership, are in my opinion the most important. There is much room for disagreement. As stated earlier, if we truly are to be a “spear of change” once a given course of action is decided on we must strike in unison. However, there is also space for different schools of thought and action—but all courses of action should be measured against their ability to achieve our over arching purpose. The problem, with not adopting—and we shouldn’t—a political ideology is that it will often be the case that ideological grounds will be points of contention within the Afrospear.
It is my hope that the Afrospear becomes as beautiful and vibrant as the thinkers that it’s comprised of. There are some who call for a change, while others are instruments of change. Members of the Afrospear have taken the first step in becoming members of the latter group.
Thank you for that deep and thoughtful post Jared. You are one of the up and coming writers out here that really impresses me.
Knowing that bloggers like you are a part of the AfroSpear family is really comforting, and I am sure we will do great things together.
Peace.
[...] Lunbangakene, and Sylivia for putting this project together. Today, I had the honor of having an essay I submitted be posted on the front page of the site. Thanks to that entire movement for the opportunity, the [...]
The second priority where the Afrospear can be effective is challenging the entrenched leadership establishment of our community
Mark bey: I agree with this, I think we should find a way to influence our leadership to adopt todays strategies for dealing with people. I think thier needs to be reform in just about all areas of black leadership. Leaders are going to have to make a difference in thier communities.
Let’s revive the robust debate that once occupied our community’s discourse.
mark bey: I think we she find ways to encourage debate, debate that leads actions that address real problems.
But I believe diffenately that our leaders should give us superior quality service. Our leaders serve us they should not be in it for the press conference and palm greasing.
In theory we should be united more often than not, as the same issues that affect me should in turn affect you. And although the two issues, healthcare and leadership
Sorry I didnt complete my comment.
” In theory we should be united more often than not, as the same issues that affect me should in turn affect you. And although the two issues, healthcare and leadership”
mark bey: I agree with the health of black america concerns deeply.
Well spoken! well spoken!
The first is healthcare. Access to affordable healthcare should be a birth right of every American citizen. AIDS, STD’s, diabetes and other health issues disproportionately affect our community.
Absolutely. A short while back I blogged about some initiatives in areas heavily concentrated with African-Americans surrounding the pro-life/pro-choice movements, and how our communities are caught in the middle of the mainstream white American reproductive rights debate without our active participation in the issues. Whenever women of color — including African-American feminists and womanists — speak about the eugenics angle or the involuntary sterilization different groups of women faced at the hands of Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights initiatives, we get the cold shoulder. There needs to be a concentrated focus on our communities taking these issues under our belts and forming our own clinics of care that we can trust and patronize — forming ways for them to sustain so that the insured and uninsured can have better health.
[...] encounter with Jared was actually through his insightful comments in response to AfroSpear’s mission statement. Filed under: solidarity, Our Black History [...]
The first is healthcare. Access to affordable healthcare should be a birth right of every American citizen. AIDS, STD’s, diabetes and other health issues disproportionately affect our community.
Jared, I agree with this and I am sure that 95% of Black America will agree also, as well as much of white America. We have a lot of difficult issues to face, but politically this is the one that we should be able to find the most common ground on within the Black community and with whites.
This is a great essay that you have submitted. I think we need to move ahead as quickly as possible to develop a simple mission statement on health care, stating that (1) health care must be a right and (2) must never be the subject of discrimination. I think we need to come to a consensus about this as soon as possible so that we can begin to advocate for this and add our voices as one to the national debate.
Great post Jared!
Now that you’ve inspired me to get off my ass and do something, I would be grateful if I could contribute whatever I can to AfroSpear, especially on the health related issues (have to put my masters degree to good use somehow). My specific areas of work are access to reproductive health services for women of color within the domestic US as well as internationally. Please let me know.
in solidarity,
sewere
[...] Sewere on ACTION [...]
Can Old School weigh in? At age 60, I remember going through similar dialogue in the 1960s roundtables and 1970s prison think tank. I commend Jared for re-stating questions we grappled with years ago. I remember the more debated internally, the more our numbers declined- not that it takes a great number to change American society. I estimate about 50 of us brought down Nixon in the mid-1970s. The key is strategic alliances on narrowly focused issues and using natural social forces already at work to effect the desired change. Eventually, it will boil down to a majority of One. This is why I work on individual legislators and politicians and catch the wave of a movement in process. I have over 750 people on my personal email, and none of us are ever 100% together on anything, because everyone has their priorities and pet projects. I am thankful to the Afrosphere network for picking up the Shaquanda Cotton story, because it brought many of us together for the first time, and BASG was formed. But information overload hinders me from answering all of my many daily demands, although I am now retired. I try, as best as possible, to share my experiences from the field and from the times that I was a member of the Black Panther intelligence think tank known as “the Collective”. We were responsible for the strategy that lead to BPP prisoner being recognized as “political prisoners”. Before that, there was no such thing. We also wrote the Community Survival Plan of the 1980s that led to neighborhood block gardens. We were the brains behind the prison movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and pooled our monies together to support the liberation movements of colonial Africa. As for as taking a collective position on Universal Health Care, if it works as a tool in your overall strategy, use it. I plan to use it as a pressure tool in forcing certain politicians to take a stand. But details and content will be something debated until the legislation passes. Here again, we will be forced to work with legislators of both parties. This is a bridge I need not have to build. Most legislators on my email already read everything I send out. Again, experience works for me. But I am old, rear-guard. I catch whatever falls through the crack. I am no longer vanguard.
Old School is always and graciously welcomed.
Do you mind if I share some of this on another thread about organization? I thank you because I think your experience and advice are very helpful for trying to guide this AfroSphere network into a formidable collective force.
Every once in a while there come a spokesman for our people, you is one of them. There is a lot of so call leaders out that just do not get it. I am 58 years young and grew up during the Martin Luther King Jr. era and knew when a person realy spoke for the people sole and body. This is good talk. We as a people have to turn from our evil ways and remember praying ancestors who prayed hard for our safety in this country. We have work to do. We need to forget about what others think about us as a people and start bettering ourselves first. I will continue to read your powerful message to us as a people. God speed.