Hello America, you need to listen to me. I’m angry, proud and tired of society’s bondage. I need to say this and be heard. Listen closely if you will: Once upon a time when we were colored, it was said that we stood in hell’s kitchen and licked all the pots clean. It challenged us then, as it does now that institutionalize racism-defined status quo and gave license to allow white supremacy attitudes to prevail beyond reason. I will tell you too, that I will not stand for it! Times have changed. When Jim Crow stood guard at lunch counters and challenged my people to look haltingly toward integration for soluble differences and to implement a system of our own for change, I was too young and ignorant of facts. I’m a grown man now and have nurtured a family of my own. I can see much too clearly, and the Black man I am will mobilized my brothers to be accountable. I will start with the young folk. Boys will transition into men and know what responsibility is. Despite adversity and all that slavery inflicted upon us, we can resolutely say that we are a resilient bunch. We have stood the test of time. We the people, a diverse, hungry, and resourceful entity constitute and demand equal representation beyond second class, and above racist attitudes. Standards of excellence notwithstanding, we vow to excel when chains of bondage continue to restrict us real or imagined…. and embrace the legacy lived on in the efforts of our ancestors who encouraged and imbued equal parity. We are throwing down the gauntlet!

No! We will not lie down and die…. God has a plan for us and we are chosen. We will march to the head of the class and reclaim sovereignty over our destiny and embrace the original covenant. Works and initiative will replace passivity, while fueling the desires of aspiration. We have not been quiet or obedient throughout the annals of time, and in some cases we do not apologize. We’ve stumbled a bit, allowed the jails to overflow, saw our communities become disenfranchised, watched and did nothing to prevent families from empowerment initiatives, and most irresponsive of all, some of us turned our backs on Christ. But you know what? That’s only for a season! We endeavor to rebound and take back what we lack, and embellish what is destined and deemed necessary for success. We dared to dream and vowed to overcome, and in the process created a rainbow coalition. Nothing we have was given to us without compromise. The welfare rolls have been eradicated and affirmative action has run its course. We can say resoundingly that the patriarchs of Amerikkka were never our fathers! They would have been amazed by the very notion of any collegial progress despite maxims put in place to stifle us. We are now over 100 million strong – and growing. Our brown and Hispanic brothers are cognizant of how you have treated us and have joined the struggle. Yes, we’ve come a long way. In the process we have sat down, stood up, linked arms, blocked doorways, broke windows, prayed, chanted, registered, gone underground, protested by going on strike, or battled our way into public office and STILL you say we don’t belong! As I look back, I hope you understand and realize what I see. I want you to know my hurt and be open to change. Minority spending power is incredulous! We now command over 900 billion spending power, which is equivalent to the highest gross national products of half of the world’s industrialized nations and is cause for intellectual reproach. You should never underestimate our penchant for the playing fields to be equal. Should I go on?

Manifest destiny not only included us, but we had a profound hand in it. We were part of the solution as opposed to being the problem. We stood our ground while others took credit for our inventions. Moreover, if it wasn’t for Black labor and intellect in all areas of applied science and technological advances any of what you enjoy today would be sufficient in your world today. The Bells, Edisons, and Goodyears know too well that success was not the panacea of their labor alone…for we had our good years too! Our contribution to history is well documented despite your efforts at erasing history at every chance you got, but we still hold you accountable and blame you for the commercial takeover of our heroes and our heritage. Your desire to control things will always define you. You were in concert with the Europeans, systematically erasing all of our accomplishments from textbooks. Through your guile and manipulative ways you somehow repackaged our rich illustrious past and sold it back to us in he form of omission and commissioned tactics.

America, you will never learn, nor can you tolerate people having control of their own destiny. You continue to staunch equitable rights, deny freedom to those who endeavor a better life from some of the very countries you’ve forced imperial sovereignty on, thus advancing your own causes. Know that sleeping giants are now awake and moving steadily against you. When we get it all together in the very near future, we would have formed viable coalitions for the betterment of all concerned. Yes, I’m perturbed and bothered by your bellicose attitude and your persistence on using the Democratic Party as our spokesman and savior. You have taken advantage of this, and we will not tolerate it anymore. We now realize what it takes to distinguish between responsibility and consequence. We the people are becoming powerful because we have finally laid Jim Crow to rest, celebrated the event, and will never look back. We reclaim our rights! Our hands are clean and do not have to revert to clinched fists and sneers to be taken seriously. We are educated and most willing to use discernable options, deductive reasoning and pure common sense to prevail and hope that you don’t mistake confidence for arrogance. You must know too, that after attending schools of hard knocks, and no matter how much you’ve perpetuated to keep us down we are able to reverently look up…and as we get up we will grab a hold of Someone much bigger than any of us. Yes, I’m angry, and all of my brothers that look like me can attest to my lament. You may even want to paint us as undeserving but we admit nor deny your charge, for all we have to do is look back on history then, look today how you subconsciously use subtlety to advance those hard to erase idioms that have galvanized your twisted thoughts. When we look back with you and we both see inequities in how my people were treated, it’s no longer a debatable point of discussion.

I vent my anger at the systemic approach to your imbalance of the scales of righteousness, and the inadequate dysfunction of your idea of justice, as we no longer allow it to be just us. You see, we to a man to not believe that we can restore and expand the freedoms that our lives require unless and until we embrace change and the will to do it on our own…and on our terms. We look at this akin to distinguishing between responsibility and consequence. How will we continue to argue our cause? Let me tell you this, America: We will sustain the rhythm but without the blues; we will continue to run faster, jump higher, and give you our stern and taciturn faces. We now have a Tiger in our tanks and have claimed golf as one of the bastions of our domination! The academies of higher learning will continue to see the difference first and foremost as we conquer your misplaced guidelines to leave no child behind. Hell, we believe in that too, but with a far different approach. We will force you to forget Proposition 48 and decry your public school system for the failure that they are and STILL graduate on time! Corporate America will also know that we can become managers too, hopefully without tokenism, affirmative action and unfair quotas. We know from where we came and where we need to go. The details and symbols of our lives have been deliberately constructed to make us believe what you said and wrote about us at one time, but it’s a new day, with new rules!

We will remain different and ambivalent to your callous ways. We will forever be deft at distinguishing the negative differences in incorporate the positive to joyously attest to the distinctive survivalist attributes we’ve always displayed. We solidify and argue our cause by not fleeing responsibility and reality, but changing it. We’ll do it with pride and with fanatical zeal. This new destiny of ours can’t be accomplished without us praying diligently and without embracing God’s plan of salvation. America, you must be about the Lord’s business too. You must change your ideological mindset concerning all peoples of color. Stop denying them their unalienable rights, bestow upon them the same amenities you do those you consider worthy. It means ultimately that you will give up control, and strive to understand that there’s enough room for all of us to persist. We remember Malcolm, Martin and Mandela…never losing their insight, but you must look up to the skies yourself and know that God is displeased too. Yes, I’m angry and do not apologize. Until you do this America, racism will continue to be your albatross, and people that look like me will be determined still to make it – against all odds!