Awakening

Rejecting the Politicization of the African American Dream!

In Awakening, a black immigrant shares his compelling ideas about the current situation facing African Americans, initiating an impassioned discussion about slavery, civil rights, and African American structure in this country.

African Americans today face many challenging issues such as absentee dads, illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, drugs, black-on-black crime, and the exploding jail population; many blame black people for impeding their own progress. According to Devon Skinner, who immigrated to America when he was nineteen, black people have not failed themselves, but instead have become victims of liberalism. If the cure does not work, we cannot continue pretending that something is wrong with African Americans. The problem is not African Americans, but the policies purported to make it better but doesn’t. Skinner provides insight into the ways we can change these circumstances while presenting an overview of literature relating to the black experience and sharing examples from his own life. He delves into controversial issues such as racism, the treatment of slaves, and the definition of welfare all while offering encouragement to African Americans to respond to the humanitarian needs of the world.

In today’s culture, many blacks continue their struggle for power and respect. Awakening educates and informs African Americans of the great opportunities that lie before them while providing the motivation to walk into the future with not only a different perspective, but most importantly, a purpose.

As you read Awakening, I hope that you enjoy it, but most importantly that you share with me your experience. I know that most of the things I touch on go much deeper and I want to learn what your personal experiences have been.

Rejecting the Politicization of the African American Dream is an attempt to give African Americans an identity beyond politics. As a people, we should not be defined by whether we are Democrats or Republicans, Progressives or Conservatives. Conversely, we should be defined by whether we can hold our own and provide for our families and ourselves. We cannot be satisfied with mediocrity.  We are a people with purpose, and we must live like it.

As the Scripture tells us, the talent is in the house.  We are the solution we have been waiting on.  Contrary to popular perceptions — that all African-Americans are struggling– we have many African-Americans who are very successful in their own right who can share their success with those less fortunate and teach them the knowledge and skills necessary to become successful themselves.  We can lift ourselves up and we don’t need to depend on who will win elections.

My family and I migrated to the United States in 2001. We did not have a lot but we had each other. Today, some of us are doing better than others, but we are surviving. The secret to success for us hasn’t been race. We live in a predominantly white state, Texas. It has been about finding opportunities and taking advantage of them.

The solution to African-Americans reclaiming the dream is simple.  Poor blacks must mimic successful blacks.  Not simply in career field; by that I mean we must all not try to be the same thing. We must take from each other the determination and the drive that separates the successful from the unsuccessful.  If they are not blacks to mimic, mimic whites.  The fact that we are of different race does not mean we can’t grow together.

During the course of writing this book, I became aware of how our generation continues to fight the battles of the past. We are in bondage once again. We must heed the words of President Obama when he countless says, we must put off the “old ideas” and perceptions of the past. In this, he is talking to African-Americans too. The bondage of the past, coupled with the belief that only the Government can make it better, has resulted in unpreparedness among many. Whether it is education, family, owning a home, the plights of the less fortunate, etc, many people don’t know how to advance. In some cases, when opportunities arise, many miss out. Those who take advantage of them –if they are not careful– are devastated because they were not prepared.

As I observe issue beyond our borders, what I found was, when houses are built in Jamaica for the poor, they say, “the white man has built us a house.” When food is provided for those in Africa, they say, “the white man has sent us food.” Have you ever wondered why few African-Americans are the ones providing for other blacks in impoverished countries? The answer to that question is found in understanding American politics. American politics has been diminished to which party can provide more of the basic needs to the citizens. In such cases, though these basis — mediocre– needs are provided for, the individual barely have enough for them let alone excess to give to others.

As I investigated why African-Americans were unable to give I quickly realized how much in need many were themselves. I discovered that those whose future depended on being a political football were continually worse off. In more cases than not, they got caught up in the governmental web of welfare and government programs and were unable to break free. Programs that if individuals are called upon to include in a summary of their life — if they went from rags to riches– would refer to as despite of rather than because of programs. Despite of programs are programs that finds its place in a sentence like this, “despite [of] the fact that we were on welfare growing up, I am successful today.” Because of programs are programs that find itself in a sentence like this, “despite the fact that we were broke, it was because of my good education that opened the door to success.”

We need less of the despite of programs and more of the because of programs.  A good start would be in ensuring that every African-American child gets a good education, even if it means through charter schools rather than the many failed in inner-city public schools.  We must work together to stem this tide and reverse this awful trend. Yes we can!