The subject of local Black leadership, or the lack thereof, has been a topic of conversation for quite awhile. Many wonder who the Black leaders are and what they are doing to enhance the minority community.
I have no doubt that there are Black leaders in this community, they just “lead” different spectrums or segments of the community. Apparently, such isolated leadership is not what the majority of the community wants. It appears that people, particularly African-Americans want “a” leader – one person. Kind of like what Martin Luther King Jr. represented on a national level or even what leaders like the late Andrew J. Brown represented locally.
The problem with having “a” leader is that the America we live in today is not the America King and Brown lived in 50 years ago. Times are different and some (not all) of the issues our community faces are different.
One of the main differences of today versus five decades ago is the mentality of Blacks. Back then the community wanted change so they were involved in the process of change. They also needed change because there were some obvious disparities that resulted in them living a life and having opportunities that were inferior to their white counterparts.
With the progress that was made as a result of that generation of folks, this generation of folks has become a bit too complacent. It is as if many people prescribe to the mindset that “I have mine, now you get yours.”
That mindset isn’t completely bad because everyone should work toward having what they want and need in life. The problem, however, is that many people don’t even know how to begin that process nor do they know what to do. Many people have never been taught certain things or given certain opportunities. That’s why those of us who are more fortunate need to reach back and extend a hand and help others achieve. But, we have to be careful with that word “help,” because we shouldn’t enable people. There’s a balance that must be found.
No one; whether you’re below the poverty level, middle class, or wealthy should rest on their laurels and be of the mindset that nothing else is possible or that whatever point we are at now is finite. There is always work to be done and there are always people and issues to advocate for.
Perhaps the individualized mindset we’ve seemed to adopt in recent decades has hurt us more than we ever thought it would. Maybe that whole “self preservation is the first rule of the nation” mentality has caused us to be closed minded or disconnected to the plights of all people.
Maybe the leaders that we do have – those people who represent specific segments of the community have been a bit counterproductive as of late. That old adage, “there is strength in numbers” still holds true. When King marched, he had thousands of foot soldiers who were right there with him – many working just as hard as he did, but on a less-publicized scale. King was the “face” of the civil rights movement, but there were thousands equally dedicated to the cause. The same can be said locally about Brown. He was a highly visible and effective leader in the community, but there were also several other people, of various socioeconomic backgrounds and races, who worked alongside him.
So perhaps that’s the answer: rather than be so segmented, let’s be a united front and have a coalition of leaders, who because of their vast backgrounds and levels of expertise, truly represent the community as a whole. Plus, I don’t know how effective one leader would be in regards to representing the various needs of the community. The world is more inclusive and even our individual thoughts and beliefs are different. We need leaders who represent diverse perspectives while also having the common goal of enhancing the Black community.
What must happen with such a group is that it must be truly diverse – that means gender and age. The “leaders” at the table must also be open-minded and willing to work together as a team so that the true strength of the group is utilized and the groups’ goals and objectives are materialized.
The reality of such a group may come sooner than later. The article “A Call to Action” on page A1 takes a look at Black leadership and also talks with several people about their perspectives. I commend David Hampton, pastor of Light of the World Christian Church, for taking the initial steps to not only begin the dialogue, but actually put steps in place so that we don’t just talk, but we actually work toward doing something.
You can email comments to Shannon Williams at shannonw@indyrecorder.com.
