the position of a black people

and what of patience...and choice! what of the systematical rules of thought and time. preparation and knowledge. what are we to make of the everlasting quest for wisdom and peace - as though the two live simultaneously. as if tranquility and intelligence are members of the same creed. a part of the same suit, they are not. yet we pursue this as though we desire it. we equate happiness with the lack of ignorance and the aquirement of pleasure. to live! for the purpose of life! absurd!!! the belief that choice is a right worth holding on to is overshadowed by the results of our choices. and the belief that our choices have a result to begin with are overshadowed by the systematical rules within which they are made. hence, choice B is simply choice B because it is not choice A. true choices are those that have no options, but are rather created out of the imagination of objectivity. they shove stoicsim in out faces as the way to productivity. forbearance as a path to progress. peace as a catalyst for social refinement. Brazilian educator and influential theorist of education, Paulo Freire, wrote that "if you want to be an instrument of change, you must be patient and impatient".

saying all this to say - that we, as black people, have become content with our standing in America. our rights have become commonplace. our voices, which we once used for revolution and social change are now impacting causes of nothingness worldwide. our hip-hop culture has reached the farest ends of the earth as everyone has fashioned themselves after "the new negro". this impact is both impressive and embarrassing. impressive because our culture is one born out of a smooth blend of suffering and pride. when one researches the art of "call and response", an african tradition that is found in the art of negro spirituals and african folktales, one can easily pinpoint the direct corrlation to the blues, and later rap, and then hip-hop, then into the fabric of R&B and Neo-Soul. this is but one example of many. yet, the embarrasing part of this situation is that our impact is not only meaningless across the seas and oceans of this world, but at the same time, does absolutely nothing for the black community. the pride that should accompany such an worldwide impact is null due to the ignorance that such an impact even exist. and thus, a community that does not know it influences the world, demands no more from the society in which they themselves live.

we are a people in search of identity, despite the identity in which we have come to be known by the rest of the world. we have been lost since we arrived. and in this melting pot of a nation, a firm ground is no where to be seen in the near future. we lack foundation. we lack foresight. and many will claim that we lack leadership. but i contest that we have a vast history, a unique vision, and leadership that has yet to be acknowledged. it's not so much change that is necessary, but a continuation of the change that has already begun. that which has already been started. we have solidfied our voice in not only mainstream america, but across the world. and with it, we can do anything.

the first thing we need to do though, is acknowledge that fact within our collective consciousness.
the next thing we need to do, is end our stance of patience.
and after that, we listen to ourselves.
and then, we act.