Saturday, December 17, 2016
The FIX
What a world we live in today. So much angst and tension, so much violence and fear. It seems like we are nearing a critical mass as it relates to race relations, equality, and justice. The simple notion that BLACK LIVES MATTER has been enough to shake some groups to their core. The audacity of a people to proclaim their worth and proudly protest for value that one would think would be inherent in 2016. It’s crazy that this is the world we live in, the culture we must navigate and the climate we must endure. But what if there was another way...?
What if I told you desegregation was not the answer, or better said what if I told you that desegregation, though meaningful, had some long-term psychological effects that has caused a shift in racial value. By this I mean that when you enforce a standard that separate cannot be equal it comes with a connotation that one side is inherently better, and that's a problem. With that mandate being agreed upon a race of people took a step back in self-esteem and self-worth. The fallout from that decision and more importantly that ideal can be seen in the way Blacks/African Americans still strive to pursue what they believe is pleasing to White Folks. We (I am a black man) subconsciously want what they have, not because it was once unattainable, no that wouldn't be a problem, that would just be setting and reaching a goal; we want what they have because deep inside we believe it is better. That is why we fight to live in their neighborhoods, go to their Ivy League schools, work for their Fortune 500 companies, and live their estimation of the "good life".
Now what I propose is not the end all, be all solution to the problems we are having with racial equality and justice, but I do believe that a focus on one key component can spark a wildfire of change within the Black community. What if every black high school student and athlete that had aspirations of going to college attended a HBCU? Take a moment to digest that. I know it seems like a very simple and minimal shift but let your mind entertain all of the ramifications that would come as a result of that choice.
Let's start with the educational aspect. If every black student chose to go to a HBCU that would dramatically increase revenue within those institutions which would in turn allow the schools to upgrade their living quarters, educational staff, athletic teams, and curriculum's. HBCU's would attract the brightest minds in the country for both student and staff, never has this been the case where people of color came together in a learning environment for an extended period of time. The days of black professors lending their talents and expertise to institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford would be over, instead these distinguished educators would be implanting their seeds of thought in the classrooms of Norfolk State University, Howard University, and Tuskegee just to name a few. Black minds for business, policy, politics, education, civics, law... all learning from one another, all in the same space, around their own people... What problems would we now be able to solve? What long standing issues would now be worked out in a matter of semesters instead of years? The power that would be unleashed on the country and world with each and every commencement ceremony would be of biblical proportions. With an educational standard set we could then work backwards and empower charter schools that would directly funnel student to HBCU's. This would allow us to create courses that teach young black children the "truth" of our culture, of Africa, of the imprint we stamped on the world long before any European influence. Let our children know that our history did not begin with slavery, and who we are takes more than a month to celebrate.
The economic effects from the decision to exclusively attend HBCU's would be unparalleled and would serve to change the financial landscape of the world. With black minds receiving top notch tutelage in an environment that fosters communal pride there would be a premium placed on creating businesses that add value to our culture. Law firms, land development companies, charter schools, hospitals, airlines, tech companies, marketing firms, banks, investment firms, media networks... all would be black owned and operated. This would serve to end the need for affirmative action as it relates to Blacks getting a fair shake in the workplace, there would be no need for any one of us to go where we are not celebrated and valued. Our companies hiring standards would be of the highest guild with only the best prospects receiving the opportunity to carry on what we have worked so hard to obtain. Global commerce, investment, and trade would not be far off, our brands would be as prominent as any today. There has always been much power in the black dollar, it has been used and exploited by others for year but now that power would be harnessed and focused to the betterment and support of our own.
And what about sports? Man o'man, sports! Think about every 5-star college athlete playing for Grambling or Southern instead of Alabama or Miami. If every high school athlete chose to go to a HBCU it would serve to change the NCAA as we know it. Athletics programs of PWI's would literally have to shut down, the overwhelming number of Black athletes filling college sports rosters in laughable. Black College sports would now be the premier place to find high level competition in every game there is (maybe not hockey). T.V. contracts (from black owned networks as mentioned in the previous paragraph) would now be given to HBCU's to exclusively broad cast their games. Advertising dollars would poor in to allow products the privilege of garnering the attention of a captive audience. With this shift in athletics there would be demand for professional teams and leagues, these teams and leagues could now be black owned and operated with no red tape or glass ceilings holding back ownership. The NFL and NBA would cease to exist as we know it, the premier talent that once was on display at every Super Bowl, ProBowl, NBA Championship, and All-Star Game would now fill the rosters of teams owned black businessmen and women. Apparel companies would need to be employed to design jerseys, cleats, equipment, and active wear. There would be no need for Nike or Reebok to endorse our athletes, our view of their brands would not be the same as it is today, the only thing that would matter would be what we produce for us. A seismic paradigm shift would sweep the landscape of sports entertainment and there would be nothing anyone could do about it.
Are there holes in this theory? Absolutely, we would need to create and maintain a standard of excellence and discipline that up until this point has never been executed on such a large scale. Things like SAT standards, current HBCU occupancy thresholds, funding, professors and thousands of other components that fill the minutia of such are large movement would still need to be addressed. Convincing Black people to fall out of love with the idea of going to PWI's like Columbia or NYU and in love with the idea of attending HBCU's like Clark and North Carolina A&T is a monstrous one. But in this time where social media has become our nightly news and what is trending is now the new normal it may only take a few thousand of the high school elite to begin a movement that could literally change the world.
What if I told you desegregation was not the answer, or better said what if I told you that desegregation, though meaningful, had some long-term psychological effects that has caused a shift in racial value. By this I mean that when you enforce a standard that separate cannot be equal it comes with a connotation that one side is inherently better, and that's a problem. With that mandate being agreed upon a race of people took a step back in self-esteem and self-worth. The fallout from that decision and more importantly that ideal can be seen in the way Blacks/African Americans still strive to pursue what they believe is pleasing to White Folks. We (I am a black man) subconsciously want what they have, not because it was once unattainable, no that wouldn't be a problem, that would just be setting and reaching a goal; we want what they have because deep inside we believe it is better. That is why we fight to live in their neighborhoods, go to their Ivy League schools, work for their Fortune 500 companies, and live their estimation of the "good life".
Now what I propose is not the end all, be all solution to the problems we are having with racial equality and justice, but I do believe that a focus on one key component can spark a wildfire of change within the Black community. What if every black high school student and athlete that had aspirations of going to college attended a HBCU? Take a moment to digest that. I know it seems like a very simple and minimal shift but let your mind entertain all of the ramifications that would come as a result of that choice.
Let's start with the educational aspect. If every black student chose to go to a HBCU that would dramatically increase revenue within those institutions which would in turn allow the schools to upgrade their living quarters, educational staff, athletic teams, and curriculum's. HBCU's would attract the brightest minds in the country for both student and staff, never has this been the case where people of color came together in a learning environment for an extended period of time. The days of black professors lending their talents and expertise to institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford would be over, instead these distinguished educators would be implanting their seeds of thought in the classrooms of Norfolk State University, Howard University, and Tuskegee just to name a few. Black minds for business, policy, politics, education, civics, law... all learning from one another, all in the same space, around their own people... What problems would we now be able to solve? What long standing issues would now be worked out in a matter of semesters instead of years? The power that would be unleashed on the country and world with each and every commencement ceremony would be of biblical proportions. With an educational standard set we could then work backwards and empower charter schools that would directly funnel student to HBCU's. This would allow us to create courses that teach young black children the "truth" of our culture, of Africa, of the imprint we stamped on the world long before any European influence. Let our children know that our history did not begin with slavery, and who we are takes more than a month to celebrate.
The economic effects from the decision to exclusively attend HBCU's would be unparalleled and would serve to change the financial landscape of the world. With black minds receiving top notch tutelage in an environment that fosters communal pride there would be a premium placed on creating businesses that add value to our culture. Law firms, land development companies, charter schools, hospitals, airlines, tech companies, marketing firms, banks, investment firms, media networks... all would be black owned and operated. This would serve to end the need for affirmative action as it relates to Blacks getting a fair shake in the workplace, there would be no need for any one of us to go where we are not celebrated and valued. Our companies hiring standards would be of the highest guild with only the best prospects receiving the opportunity to carry on what we have worked so hard to obtain. Global commerce, investment, and trade would not be far off, our brands would be as prominent as any today. There has always been much power in the black dollar, it has been used and exploited by others for year but now that power would be harnessed and focused to the betterment and support of our own.
And what about sports? Man o'man, sports! Think about every 5-star college athlete playing for Grambling or Southern instead of Alabama or Miami. If every high school athlete chose to go to a HBCU it would serve to change the NCAA as we know it. Athletics programs of PWI's would literally have to shut down, the overwhelming number of Black athletes filling college sports rosters in laughable. Black College sports would now be the premier place to find high level competition in every game there is (maybe not hockey). T.V. contracts (from black owned networks as mentioned in the previous paragraph) would now be given to HBCU's to exclusively broad cast their games. Advertising dollars would poor in to allow products the privilege of garnering the attention of a captive audience. With this shift in athletics there would be demand for professional teams and leagues, these teams and leagues could now be black owned and operated with no red tape or glass ceilings holding back ownership. The NFL and NBA would cease to exist as we know it, the premier talent that once was on display at every Super Bowl, ProBowl, NBA Championship, and All-Star Game would now fill the rosters of teams owned black businessmen and women. Apparel companies would need to be employed to design jerseys, cleats, equipment, and active wear. There would be no need for Nike or Reebok to endorse our athletes, our view of their brands would not be the same as it is today, the only thing that would matter would be what we produce for us. A seismic paradigm shift would sweep the landscape of sports entertainment and there would be nothing anyone could do about it.
Are there holes in this theory? Absolutely, we would need to create and maintain a standard of excellence and discipline that up until this point has never been executed on such a large scale. Things like SAT standards, current HBCU occupancy thresholds, funding, professors and thousands of other components that fill the minutia of such are large movement would still need to be addressed. Convincing Black people to fall out of love with the idea of going to PWI's like Columbia or NYU and in love with the idea of attending HBCU's like Clark and North Carolina A&T is a monstrous one. But in this time where social media has become our nightly news and what is trending is now the new normal it may only take a few thousand of the high school elite to begin a movement that could literally change the world.
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