If you get a room full of Black folks together to talk
about the condition of our community, you can bet that
the hottest topic of the evening will be “What the
heck is wrong with Black leadership?” Many would
probably argue that all Black leaders need to be but
put on the unemployment line, quick fast and in a
hurry. But at the end of the night, the question is ,
“If all the high profile Black leaders packed up and
moved to a small island in the South Pacific, then
what? Who would take their places? Who you gonna call
when you get fired from your job at Mickie Dee’s for
jackin’ up a customer for callin’ you the “N” word
because his fries were too greasy? Who you gonna call
when lil Tyrone gets expelled from school for tellin’
Mrs. Horowitz that Columbus Day is a freakin’ lie and
ole Abe Lincoln really didn’t free no slaves!”
After all the complaining, you can best believe that
if you ask for volunteers to step up and solve the 99
Problems facing every brother and sister in America, you
will hear a pin drop.
That is why we are starting the first
reality series in search of new representatives for African Americans – “America’s Next Black Leader.” If you
aren’t satisfied with the current condition of Black
leadership then “you” have the opportunity to become
Until I figure it out, read yesterday’America’s next Black leader!
Many of us truly believe that we need a regime change
at the top. Real talk, how many more times do you
really want to see “Count Coolout” show up to accept
the apology of a racist bigot on behalf of 12 million
angry Black folks. How many more conferences do we
really want to see on C-Span with the same ole folks
complaining about the same things that they were whinin’
about since before your mom was born?
At some point, the testimony that “I marched with Dr.
King” stops being a badge of honor and becomes a
strong indicator that you need to sit down somewhere.
Based on the condition of the Black community , our
movement is sick but instead of the doctor suggesting
that the heads of the movement retire, he just
prescribes some “Civil Rights Viagra” so they can keep
marchin’, singin’ and prayin’ till the cows come
home.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not disrespecting those of
the Civil Rights era but they really don’t seem to
be reachin’ this “Hip Hop Generation.”
And since some of today’s hottest rappers are now
knockin’ on 40’s door, if you ask a young Brotha
about dissin’ the elders watch him say, “I do respect
the elders, Jay-Z’s my dawg!”
Times have changed and the idea of a multi-millionaire
rap artist in 2007, riding a round in a $1000,000
luxury jeep blasting “We Shall Overcome, one day” just
seems kind oxymoronic. Although many hate to admit it, the NAACP has been in
need of a drastic make over for decades. Excuse my
language but that group has been a perfect candidate
for “Pimp My Civil Rights Organization” for years.
And although the old guard Civil Rights leader’s
always challenge the young folks with the cliche “no
one is going to hand you the mantle of leadership, you
have to take it,” you can believe that if you ever got
close enough to lay a finger on the scepter, they
would be hollerin’ for security!
While age may be an issue, it is really about old
ideas that need an update and just because a new face
comes along, it does not mean that he/she will
effectively deal with issues disproportionately
affecting Black folks…Even Obama, with his message
of “one America inclusiveness” has yet to prove when
it comes down to it, will he rep the Hamptons or the
hood , Harvard or Howard, high dollar estates or high
rise tenement buildings.
But the question remains, although you may be able to
stand on your soapbox and complain about Black
leaders, can you do any better? On the surface, being
a Black leader seems to be a cool job. Look at the
fringe benefits, wearing thousand dollar suits, riding
around in stretch limos and rubbin’ elbows with the
rich and famous. But leading Black people ain’t no
picnic. Can you imagine having hundreds of angry Black
folks blowin’ up your Blackberry, everyday, with their
personal problems. Just think about that lady that
sits next to you at work and her Monday morning drama.
Now, multiply that by a thousand…Get the visual???
But if you feel that you are sharper than Sharpton,
bring more action than Jackson and create more drama
than Obama, this is what we need you to do…Go to our America’s next Black leader site and
upload a video of yourself explaining what you would
do as America’s next Black leader. You can post a
speech, rap, poem or better yet, a video of you
actually doing things in the community which you
believe a real Black leader should do. People across
the country will vote by “favoriting” who the next
Black leader should be on youtube. The winner will be
announced April 4, 2007, the anniversary of the
assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Now, I know some of ya’ll are saying that you don’t
have the time to upload videos and stuff , but if you
could take time to upload that video of Tina tha Tacky
Stripper for that new BET reality show “Hot Ghetto
Mess”, then you should have no problem taking part in
“America’s Next Black Leader.”
But even if you can’t post a video, you can
participate in the discussion section.
It’s 2007, Brothers and Sisters and we don’t need
another Hot Ghetto Mess, we need Black leadership at
its best.
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott represents the Messianic
Afrikan Nation in Durham NC. For more info about “America’s Next Black Leader” go
to nextblackleader@yahoo.com.
