Who Speaks for Black America?

Commentary by Ron Washington, native Chicagoan living in Las Vegas, disabled Marine Corps combat veteran, business owner (Premiers Secours), and proud NU grad. Son of Bernadine C. Washington, former WVON GM, who inspired his love for writing.

Unity, communication and coordination continue to be the challenge for American Black folks, not to mention leadership. The Target boycott seems to illustrate this. Is it on or is it off? What was the intended outcome of the boycott and were the goals met? How is all this reported, validated and communicated by whom and to whom?

According to Atlanta pastor Jamal Bryant, purported to be one of the organizers along with Rev. Al, the boycott is concluded. But Minneapolis organizers that include Dr. Nekima Levy Armstrong, Monique Cullars-Doty and Jaylani Hussein said the Atlanta-based pastor, does not speak for the movement. So there is an obvious disconnect. 

Because mainstream and social media are the primary means that Black people use to communicate about such things then our thinking, ideas, and plans regarding the “struggle” are out in the open for anyone to see including our detractors and enemies. 

The Black church derived its strength because the enslaved only on Sunday were allowed to assemble there out of the view of master and his henchmen. Plans and ideas of survival and resistance were born out of sight and hearing range of slavers. That is probably how and why there are hundreds if not thousands of accounts of successful insurrections, uprisings and escapes, because they communicated among one another.

We can and should revisit that model of using the Black church as a foundation, a place where more Black people congregate than any other organized assembly and configure our own Black Communication System from that base. I’m not necessarily saying to let the preachers run it though. Let them continue to pastor and let communication experts and professionals build and run the system but use the church membership, friends, families and nonmembers as the audience base. Add to the mix Black owned media, and we could create our own trusted means of communication, among ourselves and for ourselves and difficult for our opposers to infiltrate and influence (I once wrote a paper entitled- Organization Communication Management, I’m still trying to find it). In theory I know the concept will work. 

I know it’s a tall order. Once again unity, coordination but especially leadership considerations are essential. It magnifies the complexity and difficulties that we face as a people. I’ve read nowhere in history where the struggle has been easy. Can you imagine the surprise, angst, and even fear that this would cause among the White supremacists? “Those dawg gone Black people are talking and planning and we don’t even know what they are saying.” Just the thought excites me.