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It is time…
that we right the ship that is the destiny of our community;
It is time to work together on the things upon which we agree, that are in the best interests of our community, and not get distracted by those areas in which we disagree. But we must also recognize that disagreements, when used properly, can lead to a multi-pronged, multi-layered approach to solving complex problems. It simply requires that we ‘play nice in the sandbox';
It is time to use the tools that our fathers and mothers, our grandfathers and grandmothers, our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers fought so hard to win, the unalienable right of all free citizens to chart a course for themselves…to realize the fruits of their labor…to pursue happiness; the vote!
It is time to recognize that voting is our voice, that our voices must be heard; and that our collective voice, when informed and voiced in large numbers, represents power;
It is time that we organize all across our community towards leveraging an informed, strategic, collective and high-turnout vote at every election, for every office, and on every referendum, with no exception. And that we do this again and again and again so that outcomes begin and continue to align with our demands, with a Black agenda;
It is time that we recognize that there are good people and good organizations, across our community, doing great work. However, we tend to operate as islands….so let us create networks (both visible and below the radar) to join forces and resources, wherever and whenever it makes sense, to build greater capacity and strength, towards better outcomes…;
It is time that we recognize that we all have a role in this endeavor, therefore, each of us, in our own way, must determine the part we can and will play in this struggle…and that if that part be genuine and sincere, that it be respected…;
It is time we improve upon how we address the issues of the un-served and under-served, not in a patronizing way, but rather in a manner that leads to real improvements in the quality of their lives. We must view the safety-net as it was intended. That is, as a bridge to better times, as a means of strengthening families in order to strengthen communities. We must be resolute in using our tax dollars to make the safety net stronger, not weaker. Our tax dollars must not be used to further exclude, segregate, or discriminate against us – keeping us from equality, opportunity and justice;
It is time
- that we do not accept training programs that do not lead to real jobs; real jobs must be a condition of training grants;
- that we do not settle for micro loans for our businesses when an infusion of substantive capital is really needed;
- that we not be satisfied with the development of that next retail outlet, when it is the investment in and the development of true economic engines that are required;
- that we recognize that disparate point solutions only go so far; and that integrated, coordinated, holistic approaches to providing supportive services result in better and more sustained progress;
- that we not be amazed by low-impact dollars that are invested when nearing an election;
- that we not be pacified by window-dressed, smoke and mirrored, short-lived, ‘great sounding’ surface gestures. These are very much like cotton candy – piled high and sweet, but ultimately are fluff, with little lasting substance.
It is time that we do not accept this from any elected official, especially some of our black elected officials, who attempt to con us instead of representing us;
It is time that we recognize individuals (and organizations) amongst us who say the right thing, in the right way, in support of our community. However, a more discerning look would reveal them as pain and poverty pimps, draining resources from those in real need, for their individual gain. They profess to speak up for the under-served, but a closer examination would reveal empty rhetoric and non-existent/ineffective programs. These bad actors must be identified, named, shamed, and shunned. We must direct resources to where they will be of direct benefit to those in need, towards building up our communities and solving our most pressing problems;
It is time that we understand that a rising tide does not necessarily lift all boats, if some boats are weighed down by the anchors of racism, sexism, classism and other barriers, real or imagined;
so, it is ok to empathize with those that are slower to move on opportunity, or that are stubborn in their unpreparedness…anchors, by design, are meant to keep a boat in its place;
We must not give up on portions of our community that require extra effort, more resources, a bit more time to ‘get it’, that result in smaller margins of return on the investment –
(corollary: the investment in human capitol must be measured differently…);
It is time to make things happen for people within our community who may not appreciate the effort, but are no less deserving;
It is time that the ‘usual suspects’, those that are chosen (from the small pool of the chosen few) use their positions on the boards where they are allowed to serve, in service to their community. Let us also recognize that it is time to force the expansion of that pool, towards increasing the probability that those that serve the interests of their appointers, will also serve the interests of their community;
It is time for us to give those that are on the inside, ‘room to breathe’…however, they must ‘breathe with a sense of urgency’ in using their influence and decision-making responsibilities, responsibly;
It is time for the ‘monied class’, those with true access to capital, those with true discretionary funds, to use said capital and said discretionary funds as a catalyst for jump-starting a resurgence of our business sector, our education sector, our activist sector, our ‘leadership sector’….;
It is time that we recognize that others can afford to wallow in a ‘me-only, to the detriment of everybody else’ transactional way of living, but that it is a death knell for a people attempting to make real and substantive change happen for the many…and recognize that sacrifice, if thoughtful and focused, is indeed noble…and very much needed;
It is time that those who profess to represent us, profess to lead us, but we know to be ineffective or incapable of delivering for our community, are shown ‘the door’, and are replaced with a new courageous leadership;
It is time that we listen to our youth, while respecting the experiences of our elders and clearing a path for that next generation of leaders. We need a new form of leadership…individuals who we identify, nurture, position and protect, and who, in turn, will do the same for the community;
It is time for those within our communities who are un-served and under-served, respect those in our community who are successful, recognizing the struggles and challenges they overcame to achieve their success;
And that those within our community who are successful, share their knowledge and insights so that we may significantly expand the pool of success; that they also recognize that they did not build their success on their own (we have all required a measure of assistance and a bit of blessed luck…);
It is time that we acknowledge that for some the need to make a dollar will cause them to work against the interests of their community. It is a reality that some will lose their way - and that for others, individual interests can and do come in conflict with the interests of the many,
However, we must learn that we can be successful in this nation’s corporations or legislatures or wherever, while also benefiting and being true to one's community and adhering to one's principles. It just takes courage and a smart strategy to out-maneuver those that try to convince us that ‘making it’ and bringing others along is an either-or proposition;
It is time that we stop being embarrassed by the actions of some in our community, and we should not fall prey to viewing ourselves as the media often portrays us. We know our truth: the highs, the lows, and everything in between. We are as diverse as any other group of people, in dealing with the challenges of everyday life. Enough said;
It is time that we acknowledge that conspiracies against us do exist – drugs and guns flooding our neighborhoods, untimely deaths and assassinations, voting laws and restrictions, redlining, misinformation, rigged juries, supreme court rulings, well-placed dollars and other well-placed enticements, and Project 2025. We must not fool ourselves about this, and yet not be frozen or overwhelmed in our response because of the implications;
It is time that the cries and screams and pain in death of our children are no less heard and no less felt and no less acted upon and surely no less prevented;
It is time to understand the parable of the elephant raised being held by chains, but now through conditioning, as a strong adult, being held only by the thinnest of rope;
It is time for us to own what happens to us …and to accept the challenge of finding solutions to our most urgent problems. We must address the intractable issues plaguing our communities. It is time for us, collectively, to step up to meet and exceed this challenge;
It is time that we take control of and shape our own narratives, tell our own story, for it is a core part of the larger tapestry that is this nation's story;
It is time we remember what we have always known – the beauty in our people; the strength and resiliency in our people, the demonstrated and the untapped greatness within our community;
It is time to leverage this strength and beauty and resiliency and greatness;
It is time for boldness, and risk-taking, and creativity, innovation, initiative, for coalition building, for leading by example, and metrics focused on outcomes… It is time to plan strategically and to fight…. for opportunity and for equity and parity. We must fight for our young, and for our old, for our families and for ourselves, for our future;
It is time for us to recognize that by necessity ours must be a larger tent. There is indeed safety in numbers, so let us gather together as needed, and plan and act together when needed. Let us fight together and build coalitions together to move our community’s agenda (however we individually define it – be it a Black Agenda or an African American Agenda or a People’s Agenda or a Progressive Agenda or a Sustainable Wealth-building Agenda or an Economic / Political Action Agenda or a Save Our Children Agenda…..) forward;
Therefore, it is time
for those within our houses of faith, join those that are in the bastions of business, join those that are in the institutions of learning, join those that are in the places of healing, join those that are in the facilities of support, join those that are in the forums of political power, join those that are in the centers of judicial power, join those that are organizing the streets, join those caught up in the prison industrial complex, join those that are in the safety of their home, join those that have no home, join those in their lavish second homes, join those that hang on street corners across our urban communities, join those walking along the dusty roads of our rural areas...
All of us must join together…in recognition of a shared past, an inter-connected present, and the possibilities of a greater, yet undefined future that we, collectively, can and must imagine and define. A future that we can and must bring to fruition;
It is time, in the year of our lord, two thousand and twenty-six, and in the 250th anniversary year of this nation’s independence, to right the ship that is the destiny of our people.
Let's get to Work….
It is Time 2026 - The Fierce Urgency of Now
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