U.N.I.T.Y

Black unity, what does that mean? Is it a goal to achieve, an ideal to aspire to, or just a nice phrase to throw around in discussions among black people.

I guess if i was asked that question, my answer would be a goal to achieve. However i know the obvious an immediate rebuttal would be, “easier said than done!”

Why is that? It seems that black unity should be the easiest goal for our people to accomplish, especially considering what we as a people have went through in this country.

If we have no other common bonds, we surely have the common bond of oppression, intolerance, and bigotry that is an has been continually inflicted upon our people as a whole throughout the history of this country. Ironically that so-called common bond tends to add to our division, usually due to disagreements over the subject itself.

So why is it hard for black people to achieve unity? Is it just human nature for people to be divided, or is there a more deep seated reason for division among black people?

Well based on my study of history; both what was taught to me in school as well as the hidden history of black people that I’ve learned outside of school; I would say that division is not human nature but instead a result of conditioning, and the division among black people is definitely a result of conditioning.

Looking at the history of the enslavement an oppression of black people in this country an around the world, a big part of that enslavement an oppression revolved around the enslavers intentionally turning those they enslaved against one another.

Black people were conditioned to hate themselves, to not value themselves nor each other, conditioned to not trust or rely on one another but instead to trust an rely only on our enslavers.

Black people were taught to worship their enslavers and condemn their own people culture an history. Black people were taught to divide themselves over skin color, due to the fact that our enslavers would show less harsh treatment an limited favoritism to lighter skin blacks than other blacks.
Black people have been conditioned to divide by nearly everything one could name: by religion, education, employment, politics, media, an most every other facet of western society.

People in western society are all conditioned to be mostly about self in the first place, an that conditioning alone makes it difficult for a person to develop a strong sense of morality an unity with others.

So when you add that layer on top of the other issues black people face in regards to generational oppression, financial inequality, cultural bigotry, and historical slander, then its no suprise that there is a huge lack of general unity among our people.

Many of us feel as though we’ve been molded into “me against the world” types, adopting this attitude an outlook because it seems most suitable for everyday survival.

We look around an see enemies from all sides. Some of our own fellow black people are our enemies, greedy politicians are our enemies, racially biased police are our enemies, corrupt corporations are our enemies, rampant poverty an lack of opportunity is our enemy.

So when everything seems like our enemy, then its very hard to unite with others, even those who may be enduring the same things we are enduring.
However, we have to learn, that unity is our only option. Dividean comquer is one of the oldest tactics, however it still works against us, because of the conditioning we’ve endured. We have to realize that we have been conditioned, an then work to look past an overcome that.

You maybe vastly different than the next black person, you may have valide readon not to like the next black person, but we must realize that all black people have one thing in common…..WE ARE ALL BEING OPPRESSED AS A PEOPLE….even if we not all directly affected.

An if nothing else….we all need to unify on that common bond.

One of my favorite 90s rap songs, was U.N.I.T.Y. by Queen Latifa, perhaps its time we start practicing that as a people.