Black Revolutionary Leadership

Is there a problem? Who are the problem solvers?

In some ways we are lucky to have Grace Lee Boggs with us in the city of Detroit because she challenges every person that she meets to develop as a revolutionary. What is a revolutionary? One who inspires us to realize we are the people to create new frameworks, new institutions, and take new actions to make society in a different image.

Alice Walker’s In Search of My Mother’s Gardens emphasizes recognizing the character, and intelligence of the Black community elders, wisewomen, and safekeepers. This act of recognition is revolutionary when it is parlayed into action like Dr. King to say, “We have so much love and dignity among us—we have something to teach this sick society.”

White thinkers from ecological and scientific perspectives are already pointing out the suicidal direction of global capitalism (Korten, Starhawk, Macy, Gore). Malcolm X made this clearest for Black audiences when he asked, “Why would you integrate into a burning house?” When we acknowledge that this economic system of privatization and globalization has proven its inability to nurture its vulnerable citizens, problem solving can begin.

We can use the economic, nonprofit, and corporate system as resource but not expect it to provide answers to today’s pressing questions “How will we support each other? How will we feed and house all these people? How will we educate and nurture our growth and our children’s growth?”

Tens of thousands of Detroit and Highland Park residents have faced home water shutoffs and evictions as water management moves from community to corporate control. Their fate mirrors that of South Africans, South Americans, and South Siders around the globe facing issues of privatization, corporate control, and ownership of what is essential to life.

Right now, this problem solving is taking place in individual homes, whether Black or White or whatever. When families get the money they say “I’m taking my kid outta here—good luck!” The allure of personal success couples with the lack of communal commitment or decision making. These conditions of isolation magnifies the stress from lack of resources felt by many families in this northern urban environment.

Whatever revolutionary 21^st century Black leadership is, it must take into account the changes that have taken place via integration. The nations of South America give an interesting example of mobilizing (nationalizing) corporate resources to empower the poorest citizens.

I learned about this from the personal examples of my sister and father—a significant number of individual middle and upper-middle class Blacks do this within their own families. Revolutionary Black leadership will capture the attention and economic will of Black capitalists, managers, hustlers, and entrepreneurs tapping “The Rage of the Priveleged Class” that Ellis Cose writes of. Folks know that corporate America is racist and sexist and they play the game to support themselves and family.

An important key is that what is collected under capitalism be used to fund libratory practices and not only organizations that offer just individual advancements. This distinction requires challenging political conversations throughout our communities—not just motivational or moralistic speeches. How can we school the young entertainers, athletes, many from our neighborhoods, with their foundations, youth organizations, sports camps, and fundraisers?

The resulting collection of capital can be used to support cooperative business ownership and local entrepreneurial education, workshops on parenting and family resources, urban agriculture, youth organizing, and community development corporations.

The mechanical mode of production and education taught us the obsolete myth that if we just play our part in the assembly line, we’ll be taken care of. Movement building leadership must shake this myth from our system and help us learn to take care of each other again. It is about both showing us the violence of state/government power and economic/ market dominance and sharing our tools to protect our families and communities.

In Detroit, we can actively reconceptualize the D from its former role as Motor City and economic center of the US to being a political/ progressive center for self-determination and creativity. As poet and Beans and Bytes host Christina Archer says,"Artists Feeding Other Artists Will Only Make Our Community Stronger."

The recent visit of Venezuela’s ambassador can be a catalyst for communities nationwide to announce our alliance with the Bolivarians- pooling our resources, and claiming collective power for the most marginalized to show that another world is possible.