The question what is the biggest problem that black people face in today’s society has been a hot topic that has been highly publicized on the mainstream media.With all this discussions of the black race and the issues we face as a whole has compelled me to examine and research to find a relevant answer. However during all my research and surveys I haven’t been able to pinpoint the number one problem we face as race, culture or community. Of course there is always the prevalent issues i.e. racism, education, employment and police brutality. Although all these issues are all relevant and important I wanted to find out if everyone outside the mainstream media held this same sentiment.
Police Brutality
Police brutality has been brought to the forefront in the past couple of years due to the heinous acts we’ve all witnessed in the news and beyond. With so much media attention many people would tend to side with police brutality being the biggest issue black people face. In a series of surveys and polls I’ve taken over a three month period and a wide-range of people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, ages and races. I have compiled a list of various answers and opinions of what they believe to be the most prevalent issue we face.
Results
In the end I received over seventy five different answers to the question “What is the biggest problem that face black people in today’s society”. I asked over two hundred people varying from the ages of 18-55. These results were kind of shocking seeing that most of my prior research narrowed down our problems to about five to ten major issues. This caught me by surprise because I received over seventy five different responses. This prompted me to share two issues I believe black people in America are facing.
- Lack of Education & Jobs:
This is a major problem in the black community seeing that many of our schools are not always equipped with adequate amount of teachers, supplies or books needed to run a effective school. This is seen majority in the K-12 school system which limits the ability of those students to have access to higher educational opportunities. When it comes to lack of jobs education runs hand in hand. Without a proper education it can be difficult or downright impossible to find employment that offers more than minimum wage This brings up a greater issue, because in many of our neighborhoods jobs with a “higher pay grade” are not being placed there leaving only low-level or minimum wage jobs in our communities.
- Collapse of the family:
Until recently, welfare was a constitutional right (Goldberg v. Kelly) that makes government dependency more attractive than husbands. Illegitimacy increased from 23.6% in 1963 to nearly 70% of all black children today. This persistent problem has effected black people for over fifty years. However the breakdown of the family did not only effect our family but our community. With this change it also effected the decrease in black businesses and wealth in our neighborhoods. Which consequently caused the unemployment rate and incarceration rate to increase.
Final Thoughts
There are clearly more than two issues facing the black community, but the bigger question is can some of these problems every be resolved? In the end the plight of blacks in America can be difficult to understand without actually experiencing it yourself.What do you think are some of the challenges black people face in today’s society? Comment below & if you liked this post please share!
Copyright ©2016 Jay Colby All Rights Reserved.
Jay Colby 
First let me confess that I am not black, but I am half Mexican and half White. In my book, “Remember the Prisoners: He came to Set the Captives Free,” I address the racism my father endured going to school in the 40’s and the residue of that racism and how it affected me. That being said, also in my book, I introduce my Father in Christ, Mr. Doyle Williams who is of African American decent. And my wife and I are the Godparents of his grandchild, so were are well versed in multi-ethnicity. So now I speak. The greatest threat to black people in America today is the propagation of a false engenderment of a genuine care for that race, by our lying government, specifically Hillary Clinton and the corrupt DNC as a whole; followed closely by their propaganda machine. Now, I am not trying to politicize this discussion, but it is impossible not to address the real culprit in this matter. Coming in third and fourth place are education and jobs. The lack of these basic human necessities produce impoverished conditions breeding contempt, hatred and subsequent crime. But this holds true for any people group in any country. The so called elite want us dumb, complicit and poor, oh and dead. A careful research of History tells a sweeping tale of the agenda on a global scale. In researching this nation’s collusion in this plan simply start with the capitol building, and there in the center, in the dome itself, is a fresco painted by a Jesuit conspirator called the Apotheosis of Washington. Study it carefully and ask your self What does apotheosis mean for Washington and where does that leave the uneducated masses?
LikeLiked by 5 people
Great insight as always. I agree with all the issues you stated were all true. When it comes to this country’s government it has always been corrupt since the US was founded. Thanks for sharing such insightful feedback!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for your hard work and thought provoking content God bless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: What is The Biggest Problem facing Black People in America? – remembertheprisonersblog
*Disclaimer- this is coming from the daughter of a black man raised in a rough neighborhood in Detroit. My comment is limited to my perspective… ❤
This is strictly from my personal experience, I'd say the biggest problem facing the black community is perception. Both ways- the way black people are perceived and the perception black people have about themselves. There's a lot of beautiful things in the black community but one of the downfalls that I've experienced is the disempowerment.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Great insight I’ve noticed this as well and it can be very problematic especially the way the media portrays black people.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That goes for all forms of media- news, movies, shows…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Too many generations in too short a period of time. Histories, legacies, lessons learned, wisdom, and our identities are being lost in the process of “shortened generations”.
We spend too much time “reinventing the wheel”.
George Santayana, is attributed with saying, “Those who can’t remember the past are condemned to repeat “.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 says. ” What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there’s nothing new under the heavens”.
This is simple logic. Our young mothers and fathers are too young to remember or appreciate, and build on, accomplishments and mistakes of our heroic ancestors.
Grandma and Grandpa are in their 30s. Great Grandparents are 40-50. Who are the elders of the tribe now? Who passes on wisdom learned from the past?
LikeLiked by 4 people
You make a great point without wisdom how can we grow and learn to make tomorrow a better day. But I would like add/ask a question. I hear a lot of peopls share some of these same thoughts. Would like to ask in your opinion what will be a solution to this problem or can it be solved?
LikeLiked by 1 person
1. Babies have to stop having babies. We have to stop rewarding unwed children for having babies.
2. Every male who feels he’s man enough to have a child should be forced to pay child support.
3. Child Support Enforcement, should be an active “enforcement” agency, with field agents who actively seek out deadbeats. Right now, they depend on the mother to provide the location of the deadbeats. The “agents” sit on their butts and collect State checks and benefits.
(I have 3 children, two are now adults. I still pay Child Support for the third).
Once young men realize that they will be held accountable for each and every child they produce, their rates of reproduction will decrease.
As for the youth who are currently victims of this “shortened generations” problem. Mentorship by responsible elders is vital.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Education is the foundation upon which everything will be built.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very true thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have the same ethnicity as ‘RTPB’. I agree with all the above. I’ve worked with the blacks you describe in the break down of the family. What I found was that sometimes, blacks anticipate discrimination before it takes place, which then puts them on the defensive and unwilling to receive kindnesses genuinely given. I remember trying to talk with a black person in the same manner a black coworker did and I was “sent to the office” for being racist. I told my coworker that she jokes with them all the time and she told me simply and honestly “you’re not black, you don’t get to”. I learned that the standard for communication is different and I was crushed. From then on I constantly had to watch what I said, so that it would not be taken wrong. I don’t know that blacks realize that questioning someone’s intentions breaks down all progress. Blacks must learn to trust and be confident in themselves and that it’s okay to be black. I think some are not comfortable with their blackness and look for slights. It would also makes it easier for communication if a white person is not always on needles and pins worried that they might say something wrong or that their intentions might be misrepresented or misunderstood. That is based on my own experience.
I had a friend who was as black as night but she never once acted as though she were different. She was not defensive, even though she admitted there were times when she was younger that there were difficulties. She married a white boy in Alabama in the 70’s or 80’s, so you can imagine. Interestingly, a lot of snubbing came from fellow blacks. Today there are many mixed couples, you can see it everywhere. More black men with white girls which also causes animosity toward whites because then black women get upset that all their men are being taken. So it becomes a vicious cycle. I know some fear the loss of their culture and customs understandably and they are important to maintain, but don’t let that get in the way of people seeing you as a person, not a color. Since my Mexican was also unusual in the south, I sometimes noticed it and my father told me to “Not see yourself as different or others will too!” I rarely had a problem, but when I did, it was their problem, not mine. Just like with my friend, we are loved by everyone in the community. She has the most amazing voice and we love to hear it!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You shared some interesting points. When you pointed out that “some blacks anticipate” can be true in some intances but I would to point out that how the media protrays black people can cause perception issues for blacks and whites or any other race. In my experience being a black man who was never taught to look for racism. I have experenice in certain situations where I’m sure maybe somone from a different race couldn’t understand racism. For example, a former coworker of mine used to use the in N word a lot around other co-worker. Me being the only black person took offense to him using this word. His response was “y’all do it why can’t I”. I then educated him on some the benefits he has with being white in this country. One would be “White Privilege” that he has and I don’t have. Sometimes we all have to realize this country was built on hate racism and lies. So it will take time heal all the wounds it has caused. Thank for sharing your views more conversation always helps everyone learn.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You are absolutely correct and as soon as we can jointly teach others by example perhaps some of it will stick. I knew a girl I worked with who also used the word and her excuse was that it denoted class not race. I told her it was still inappropriate. This same person would give money to whomever gave her a story of their plight and it didn’t matter they were black she showed by her actions that she cared yet her tongue did not. So, I very much understand your point. We all have room to change. It’s interesting but many whites despise that “WP” term as well as blacks the other. So through healthy conversation we learn. Thanks for responding back. We are always learning.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with what you’ve written. It infuriates me that there is such a gap between acceptance on both sides. I don’t see colour! I never have! To me, one person is as equal as the next no matter colour, religions, whatever! A so called “lowly” job whatever that may be, Janitor as opposed to President, makes no never mind to me. It’s what’s inside, your soul, your being, your compassion, your acceptance, your ability to perceive what is behind the words that matters. Having said that, I don’t live in an area where there has ever been an issue in this regard. I have a great deal of concern, compassion and yes outrage when I see heinous acts perpetrated on ANY individual in the world. I am not trying to minimize the acts brought to the forefront regarding “black” people, a word I hate almost as much as the other one, as it is a demarcation as well. We are ALL “humanity” of the world! We ALL deserve to be treated fairly, equally and compassionately. Sorry, rant over! It annoys me considerably that a division still exists and perhaps is growing against all reasonable thinking.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I understand exactly your sentiment. Unfortunately the reality is that the world does not see it that way. Only if everyone thought that everyone was equal and not the otherwise. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I wish that our “understanding” would catch up and become the reality. It’s frustrating to watch the wars played out at the expense of human life. and thank you for listening.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think as an educated immigrant, my struggle differs from others. My biggest problem is breaking through the immigration barrier. I have more issues with being a woman here, than being black. Of course I’m not in any way discrediting the struggle. Just sharing my own experience.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing your opinion!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Since pain seems to get passed from generation to generation … and people say to get over the slavery issues … its easy to say when that pain hasnt been involved in your life. Pain can take the form of a chip on a shoulder, to repressed aggression in the form of pedophilia. Black history is riddled with rape and prostitution by whites and blacks both. Enslavement was normal in Africa between tribes before it reached North America. 8 percent of the population which is African American females … carry out 40 percent of the abortion. The CDC stats show for the size of the minority of African Americans, they rank highest in pedophilia, homosexuality, incest, and STDs. Its terrible. Im very white in a black neighborhood so I keep things in mind when dealing with people. Many of these programs our government provides are akin to sticking a band aid on a severed limb. Great read and you are spot on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree that the pain from slavery still effects black people today. But I don’t understand how the abortion & std rates? Have to do with what America has done overtime to black people. Which has consequently hurt and in some intances denigrated the black community.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It has to do with shame. It has to do with the fact that our Government experimented on African American men with either syphilis or something like that I cant remember. They have never nor will they ever be considered equal in general. Our society turns a blind eye to all of the rape and std infection with over whelming hard evidence that rape kits do not get tested. STD’s are shameful and people carry a lot of guilt from them. Instead of showing women how to defend themselves, how to file a police report, or even strong parenting classes, this stuff gets swept under the rug. The corte self esteem has to be enlarged. The black folks in my neighborhood, and you can really tell in the little girls is one of shame. They are not proud to be who they are. Bottom line is that people don’t really care because in order to help a demographic that has a lot of this going on, you have to get really really involved.
LikeLiked by 1 person
http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/20/entertainment
When a society considers a group of people an equal, they take measures to show that they are. Proof is in the action, not sentiment. Ive worked in health care and know for a fact that when white women go in to the clinic, abortion is not mentioned unless the one pregnant brings it up, on the other hand in my area, its an option that is brought up immediately. People can either bury their heads in the sand or start looking at hard fact. Many African Americans are brought up believing they are worthless. You have to tackle the problem at the root, not the side effects.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not trolling I promise … just backing my statements up
http://www.newafricanmagazine.com/medical-scandal
That wasnt that long ago inTuskegee. I just care. I want people to understand that its been a large issue for quite some time. Im a Christian so I find programs like Black Girls Run and hand out info to people here who might be interested.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just our skin being darker. That ends all arguments. Its the root to all the problems. We see it over and over. You can emulate black culture as a person of the fairer skin and get the proverbial pass. From media to politics to education. Look at Eminem. Macklemore, Iggy Azelia. Aren’t they rappers? So you can’t say the Thug culture because those artists I just mentioned who emulate black culture thrive in white America because of their skin color. Just the fact being darker is the root to all of it. From Native Americans, Aboriginals, Indians, Africans, and Palestinians, just the darker who projects negative imagery. It’s subliminal messaging since the dawn of time.
Show of hands of people of color who get great jobs but are never promoted just due to their skin color? Piggy backing off what remembertheprisonersblog said, the liberal media wants people to be fearful of anything that is darker than them. From how we approached in retail, to customer service, to trying to apply for a business loan, from standing up for ourselves, the media has constantly reminded us that we ARE not equal at all. In a perfect world I would love for everyone to look like they did at the end of the movie VOLCANO? You remember that? The volcano erupted and all the people of Los Angeles had ash on their faces and bodies and the lady asked the young man “Where’s your mother?” He looks around and said “Everyone looks the same” lmao sorry for ranting but This was rant worthy nonetheless
LikeLiked by 1 person
I couldn’t have said it better myself I agree with you all your thoughts. I do want to point out that the media protrays us in a negative just for protesting or standing up for ourselves. This has always been a problem and why I decided to choose a career in writing/media so I could help change the way black people are protrayed to the mainstream audience. Thanks for reading.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always a pleasure. That’s also why I’ve done things like that on thecouchsports.com because We are only glorified for athletics, beauty or entertainment. No one ever says “my goodness, I want to be like that Black man because his ideas are phenomenal”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Black people are wonderful and amazing individuals it’s just in a lot of ways misunderstood . It’s just that the perception of others that judge .Everything could change if the mentality of others wasn’t so corrupted from what their taught . or how they feel but some people don’t won’t to understand or have a change of heart . With that being said work harder and educate yourself .Rise above the perception and labels .Stand for equality because everyone deserves it not just certain groups.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great insight as always. I would ask the question should black people subjected to “working harder” than everyone else just because their skin color?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would answer no.
But yes – be willing to work as hard as it takes.
Why do we measure ourselves against people of other races, or belief systems? I don’t. I just measure myself against where I am now, and where I want to be. Then do whatever it takes to get there with my dignity and honor in place. Of course there are obstacles, and barriers. I have learned that it isn’t someone else’s responsibility to change those things, it is mine to figure out a way in and through and around and over them. It isn’t easy, but it is doable.
We are one people. One people, people.
We have so much in common, and must find our shared vision then respect our different paths to that shared vision.
And what would be a rational, real shared vision?
Things like health. Safety. Opportunity.
We can do this, and we need to shut out the voices that are telling us we can’t.
Let’s start a real revolution of belief, and care despite differences.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You make some great points. But I think you might have misunderstood the question. I wasn’t asking that we shouldn’t have to work hard to get where we want to go. I meant for example is it ok if a black has to work 10x harder than other race just because they won’t get that same opportunity. I agree that we should be one people. That would help our society as a whole with this change. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How do we measure working harder? Isn’t that often from the perspective of the individual? Based on my experience as a mom of four kids, all in the same home with the same responsibilities…I sure saw them place different weights on their investment in our family life 🙂 It just seems like we get caught up in concepts like that and then we really have no way to rationally measure or calculate or define what it means. I’m aware, and a believer, in institutional racism. I’m just not sure we are going about solving the problem the right way. Thank you for your investment in this really important issue.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s nice to see you take a stab at solving the problem. I wish we could press a button and it’s fixed. But these issues seem like they run deep. So deep, I could see why God would want to flood the world and restart…because how do you change a lifetime’s worth of racism, regret, guilt, hurt, pain…and a lot of which weren’t caused by us by leaks through the crevices generationally. As you can see with this upcoming election, there’s so many places…many that I didn’t suspect, that harbor folks who have a problem with brown folks. Sigh…until then…it starts with what I do and helping to change the stigma where it counts. Yeah, I know you can’t just heel and obey police now, and some people won’t listen, but our job isn’t to get everyone to listen, but to scream it out to anyone who is willing to listen and let those good seeds get planted.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea its a tough problem or should I say problems to fix. But conversations like these I think are the beginning process to start changing.
LikeLike
I dig it. Having the conversation is like admitting the problem. If u never admit the problem, how can u begin to change it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: What is The Biggest Problem facing Black People in America? | B +Ve !!
I think that you hit on some key points Jay and I must say that I do agree. I am the daughter of a police officer so I’ve had mixed feelings when it comes to many of the ways people are expressing themselves as a result of the police brutality. Don’t get me wrong, I am totally against it however, I think that many officers are getting a bad rep because of a few bad apples. I also feel that one of the main struggles that African Americans face is lack of exposure. Many of us are unaware of the jobs and career paths that we can take in order to be successful. Many times we are unaware or intimidated to step out on faith and start our own businesses. Some of the most intellectual people I have ever met were African American and they didn’t see their own power and strength. Someone commented that our perception is one of our biggest problems and I must agree. How will we gain generational wealth if we don’t know our value???
LikeLike
I enjoyed reading this article and reading the comments. I do agree that perception from both sides is a serious problem. I don’t think there is a single BIG problem, I think that there are numerous problems that all tie into each other. I grew up in a two parent household despite my mother having kids before us out of of wedlock and I didn’t always live in the best neighborhoods but my parents raised me a certain way, to put boys last and put education and my dreams first. I agree with ronbrownx, in our community, there are babies having babies. I’m 23 and my niece who is 19 just had a baby, which is truly sad in my eyes because she had so much potential but she has become yet another statistic.Parents are supposed to be want better for their kids but that doesn’t seem to be the case as of lately. Apparently these parents don’t tell their kids that there is a huge and exciting world outside of their city so they forever stay in the projects or in low income areas. We should be telling our kids and future generations to stop living up to stereotypes that have been placed on them and not only prove those people wrong but prove to themselves that they are more than a stereotype and that the world is theirs. Racism and police brutality is a huge problem right now but perhaps we should start making some internal changes in our communities and learn to support each other especially with all of the nonsense going on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I tend to agree there are numerous of problems. But one thing I think is key that you reminded me of reading your comment. We have stop judging one another for mistakes we make and start to help each other. Like you said support is important during this time for change. Also when it comes to lower income areas I believe that we should go back those communities and give back not just our money but our time. I see so many “successful” people who forget about these areas. This has always been a major concern when it comes to improving these areas. Thank you for reading & commenting!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Collapse of family anywhere will bring economical hardship to the family. Children going out to get low paying jobs, moms working two jobs so never home. Children raising children. Not going to school to get an education. Looking to gangs to fill their family need of belonging. Welfare breeding welfare, why work when I am owed this, poor poor me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great points collapse of family can cause many hardships. Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
I’m glad you mentioned the collapse of the family unit. I think this affects all races, but your statistics reflect just how negatively the black community has been affected.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I agree the “collapse of family” has affected all races. Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
Wow!For me, it seems ridiculous that there is still racism during this century. That should be long gone and people should have realized by now that it doesn’t bring anything good to anyone!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I understand & I wish it still wasn’t a concern. Thanks for reading!
LikeLike
I believe that one the biggest problems that blacks face today is Mass Incarceration. In the 1970’s, there were about 200,000 prisoners. Today, the prison population is more than 2 million. About one in three prisoners are black men. More than 60% of the people in U.S prisons are people of color. Some of them were over sentenced. Some of them were forced to pled guilty. And a lot of black men are still behind bars today because of the 3 strikes and your out law that was passed by Bill Clinton when he was in office.
Here is the link to the article on The Documentary The 13th http://fortune.com/2016/10/06/13th-netflix-documentary-ava-duvernay/
The documentary is available on netflix with a subscription. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it, Please make time to do so.
Thanks for posting this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree that is a president issue that we face in today’s society. I’m going to have to read that article and check out that documentary. Thanks for sharing such informative information.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your post is well-reasoned and avoids the simplistic answers the media wants to throw out so we don’t have to deal with the problems. Many of the replies are thought provoking as well. As a former teacher, I would say that all of these things are tied in together in a cycle. When students come to school hungry, abused or worried about whether mama is still alive because the boyfriend was beating her up when the child left for school, it is hard to focus. (By the way, I sent that child to the office with instructions that she be allowed to phone home to check on her mom.) We need to address poverty with jobs with adequate compensation. People in poverty need opportunities, but they also need training in life and work skills so they can keep that job and manage their money. There needs to be reasonable shopping within walking distance and good public transportation. We don’t all need to go to college. There needs to be training opportunities for those who are more mechanically inclined. College is great, but the choices should not be college or unemployment. There should not be inequities in our public schools! And my personal bandwagon–we need to get rid of Common Core State Standards and the insane testing that says everyone is a failure and makes a few mega-corporations very rich.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great insight as always you’ve made some excellent points. Education has always been an issue I’ve felt that needs to be addressed. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The collapse of African American neighborhoods came as a result of the rise of Communism. I don’t know if you have seen the documentary “The Beast as Saint: the truth about Martin Luther King Jr. It is available here –
African Americans must restore Christian morality into their neighborhoods. This is a growing concern among many African Americans.
LikeLike
Pingback: The Cost of Balancing Academia and Racism | Real Life of an MSW
This is probably going to be an unpopular answer, but when people take God out of the equation, things crumble. I am not talking about going to church, but I am referring to having a relationship with Him. Once a person sets that as priority, he or she sees himself differently and is able to overcome many of the previously mentioned problems. His diligent efforts combined with God’s supernatural power make a world of difference.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing your opinion!
LikeLike
I am not really sure that there can be one “biggest” problem, but for young people, I think one issue is a lack of positive role models who give a realistic view of what being an adult actually entails.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great research! And I would have to add financial illiteracy is certainly a problem for African Americans as well. We need more skills, more jobs – but if we don’t know how to manage what we’re bringing in, it will be impossible to get ahead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The greatest issue among blacks is simply not being treated equal to whites. This covers every single aspect in life. Education, jobs, etc.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can go on and on about this but right noiw I just can’t
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sigh… I work in a middle school. We have had stellar results in our turnaround phase but our building is so inadequate they now have us housed in a high school. So far the transition has been alright but I know this never would have been tolerated in other communities.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great and well written post. There are so many problems, but I agree that lack of education and jobs is one of the biggest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting research. I do think that education is definitely in need of reform.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good article! It’s really hard to pinpoint one problem that plagues our community most, but the lack of fathers taking their responsibility has done the most prolonged damage to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think if we pointed out all the things Black people have to face we we would be here for several years because its so much that we have to deal with. I def think its a break down in the family structure since slavery time, when you purposely break families apart and take them to different plantations you have created a break down. As it related to the government they had/have rules in place that you have to be a certain income level. Well if 2 working adults are working *even if its not enough to support the family( they will be denied access to services. So what do we do, we say ok, Id rather receive money and have a place to stay for me and my children and dad is no longer technically welcome in the home. These are structural examples, I haven’t spoke about the individuals of why there is a family break down. If we look at the school system, yes we don’t always have adequate supplies, quality of teachers but we are also not being taught black history perpetuating to believe that we were not apart of history or didn’t invent certain things. Even if we make it to earn a degree, there are still barriers. For example some people can’t even get a job interview because of there name(it appears ghetto) or in my case after graduating with a master degree it took me 6 months to find a job because a lot of the criteria stated I needed to be bilingual, which I am not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mr. Colby, right on, brotha! Until more Black men like you stand up and take their respective place in society, we will continue to stay decades behind the times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1) family- a family that stays together conquers the world. Love brings money. So even if they aint no jobs or subsidies familes will pull all their resources to care for one another.when my family stuck together we prospered as a whole. Once we broke apart, family members loss everything. Now where building independently which is hard.
2) communites- building communities that have a moral code outside of religion and that has strong networks for members regardless of status and origin.
3) dismantle the status and origin matrix-Which in this country is difficult to do because status and origin has everything to do with everything: including who stands in the line behind you at the grocery.
For example:In NYC some luxury buildings set aside low income rents for the same apartments. The residents paying lower rents for the same apartments cannot enter through the front door. They have to go through a specially made back door. True story.
Therefore, dismantling this status and origin matrix would solve a lot of problems. But this would require a whole nother world and a whole nother history; way before the pyramids and the first human interactions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great post! I think you hit it right on the nail. There are many challenges black people face in america, and as heart wrenching as they are what do we do and how do we overcome it all?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading. I’ve been trying to answer that question for a while now. I think the first is having the conservation then look for relevant actions to take to overcome the problems.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The biggest problem black people in America have – is the same problem that every other black and brown person on the face of the earth – COLONIALISM.
You can try to break it down into groups of oppressive behavior, eg., racism, police brutality, lack of jobs, etc., but you throw our cause under the bus when you do this.
Why would we care about racism if we had our own economic infrastructure? There would be no brutality from anyone, and there would be no shortage of jobs and new businesses.
There would be no ghettos specifically for us and there would be no misrepresentations of us in movies and on local tv.
Without colonialism, we would live in a free and equitable society. Therefore we really need to stop talking about who doesn’t like us and talk abour the crime of colonialism and its system of free labor for which we need to be paid.
In one voice we need to talk about reparations. Every conversation with them, regardless of the subject needs to come back to reparations. Every casual comparison of their lives to ours should be answered with: reparations.
What are they going to do? How can they object? Start shooting us unarmed in the street?
Every single one of us, every single day, every chance we get; we MUST lift our one voice to REPARATIONS, bc this is how we can build a life support system for black people in America.
LikeLiked by 1 person
One major issue within the black community is division among ourselves. Jealousy and envy often drive wedges between different individuals within the race and there’s no real attitude of oneness. If we work to move to a place of togetherness, we can begin to heal our race and build up our community.
LikeLiked by 1 person