Black liberation is non-existent in terms of what we generally refer to as liberation.
In the days of Fredrick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and Stockley Carmichael, liberation meant for those on the margins of a society, particularly Black Americans, gaining access to opportunities was through education, political and economic arenas.
The widespread ideology was to uplift the entire Black masses through these avenues. The present state of Black liberation is more or less on an economic level with little regard for the collective. If it means to sell crack and heroin to his brother, prostitute his women, or kill a competitor, the end justifies the means.
As long as the dominant culture of America attacks affirmative action programs, limits access to higher education and health care and allows drugs into the country, people of color, particularly Blacks, will only see avenues to climbing the social stratification ladder in entertainment, sports or the drug game.
With such a narrow focus, we are witnessing the devastating deterioration of a community. Equating this assault on the Black underclass to the enslavement process is complex but simple.
Wrist and ankles are manacled with chains upon incarceration — much like the visual image of Africans heading toward the auction bloc for sale upon arrival to the New World. In this case, however, it’s the prison world.
The inmate is given a numerical name to replace his parental given name — much like enslavement times when slaves were given an American name to replace their African tribal name. Europeans saw Africans as “casualties of war” in their quest for world domination. This same view appears to be held by the dominant culture of America in their quest to maintain civil control of the masses, especially poor, urban Blacks.
When we speak of Blacks, we are specifically dealing with Black males. The poster child for criminal activity is the young, black, plaited hair, baggy-pants wearing, and inner-city male. The Black female is targeted as well, but she is portrayed more as the money stealing, multiple-child bearing, drug-addicted, lazy welfare queen.
Furthermore, the Black female continues to be seen as an object. She has always been viewed this way since there were forced sexual encounters back during enslavement — when they were at the disposal of the dominant culture males for their gratification. A Black female poses no mythical, physical threat of violence to the dominant culture males or sexual threat to the dominant culture males’ woman.
The Black male, however, is seen as a threat by the dominant culture male and must be kept under control, supervision or incarceration. Trying to maintain Blacks under constant supervision appears to be the solution dominant culture America has come up with to counter the alleged crime boom in America.
But anyone living inside these neighborhoods knows that is not the solution. What are needed are more opportunities for better education, health care and careers.
Selling crack and other illegal items does perpetuate a violent environment. However, it is not the root cause of the immediate violence. When you marginalize, oppress and discriminate, you force people to resort to alternative means of economic stability.
With very few opportunities outside these communities, the oppressed dwellers feed on themselves, ultimately becoming more fuel for the expanding prison industrial complex.
The dominant culture knows that it must allow people in an oppressive society certain releases. Most do not realize that having weekends off for most workers is a form of release. This allows for spending of your slave wages and a respite for the upcoming haul.
Free speech is another form of release. This has come in the form of music, art and literature. These expressions have had little change on societies recently because more people have been given the false appearance of freedom and healing through these avenues. Allowing one to express his views is one thing; acting on them is an entirely different issue. The dominant structure is so rigid, yet flexible; opposing views can be easily blended into the mainstream without most noticing. If one develops too strong a voice, a co-opting process begins.
America has the opportunity to be much better than it is. Far too many of our citizens are calling for war but are not ready for a revolution. Are we willing to die to ensure a better existence for generations not yet born?
That is what America did in the American Revolution and the Civil War. We want to go to other lands and destroy, pillage and plunder for a better America, but how many of you are ready to take up arms right here on American soil for a better nation?
What we have is an American dilemma. Our citizens are so cautious of their fellow nationalists, that they would rather lock them up than understand them. As many seek to bring to the surface the differences, our powerful commonalities are swept under.
Black liberation is about the collective. Unfortunately, situations and circumstances have brought about a new movement. Still, many of these Blacks would fight for the opportunity to continue their marginalized ways.
Are you willing to die for a better America? Are you ready for true liberation?
Carlton Hamilton is an African-American studies and Sociology senior. Reach him at
chicago14@prodigy.net.
