Black to the Future Preparing for Black America’s Tomorrow

From the first time we get a taste of what we think prosperity might be, we are fixated on chasing the “American Dream”. But what is the American Dream, and was it even painted for those of color? This “dream” includes ideas of freedom, prosperity, and success, but in history, was the black individual ever afforded these things readily and willingly by America?
America was single-handedly built on the back of the African slave. I can only imagine that before he was packaged and shipped to the new world, he too had his own dream, which may have included a beautifully, sun-kissed African queen and as one, they created a radiant child. His dream also made him one with nature, and a conqueror of all things in his path. I believe his vision of prosperity was unselfish, because his homeland was bountiful, and contained more than enough to go around for him and his brother. His dream was promising, because to him it was attainable and could be passed on to his children’s children.
Unfortunately, his dream was abruptly exchanged for shackles. Not only around his body, but chains upon his mind. These binds were permanently latched to his mind and forced him to believe he was unequal to the rest of mankind. Set apart as a savage, he continued on, forgetting his origin and losing his identity, along with his dignity.
Generations and generations later, those chained remained upon the minds of the descendants of that same African slave.
Enslaved by segregation, our grandmothers and grandfathers thought of us every time they marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for civil rights. They had us on their minds as they were called “niggers”, sprayed down, beaten, and bitten by dogs. They dreamed of more for their tomorrow, and those sacrifices gained equality and a brighter today.
So I pose a question: is this generation of black society preparing for our tomorrow?
We are the new slaves, mind-cuffed by social media and sheltered from the truth we are more than capable of understanding. We’ve forgotten the true value of the things that built our people up after they were torn down for so many years.
Family, genuine friendship, scholarship, knowledge of self-worth, and the capability to coexist with the rest of America are a few values that attribute to a thriving black culture. Instead, to some of our generation, it is deemed easier to obtain prosperity with money, drugs, good looks and even social media fame. We live for now, and are apprehensive at the thought of only living once. We “turn up”, forgetting that there’s a future we must prepare for.
To bridge the gaps between yesterday, today, and a better tomorrow, we ought to get back to taking pride in our culture, and all we have to offer. Different hashtags are simply not enough to uplift an entire race. It is time to leave behind the stereotype and rebuild what it means to be a part of Black America today. We can begin by remaining in our own communities to support black businesses, attending our HBCUs, and allowing our children to witness positive role models that look like them. Sure, it won’t happen overnight, and sadly, not everyone might be on board, but diligence and working together as a people, we can propel black to the future.