Breakdown:

1. Introduction: A Deliberate Economic Strategy Post-Assassination
   • Begin by outlining how the U.S. government’s policies after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination aimed to dismantle the economic foundation of Black men, especially in inner cities.
   • Highlight the key idea: this wasn’t a coincidence, but a deliberate effort to weaken future civil rights movements by cutting off economic empowerment.
2. Stripping Away Economic Opportunities in the 1970s
   • Discuss how, up until the 1970s, Black men could earn a stable living working factory jobs without needing a college degree. These jobs provided economic stability and allowed for a decent standard of living.
   • Explain how the removal of these jobs was the first step in making Black men economically irrelevant, particularly to Black women.
3. Dismantling Vocational Training in High Schools
   • Analyze the second strategic move: removing vocational and technical training programs from high schools, which previously provided skills like carpentry, plumbing, and auto mechanics.
   • Highlight how this stripped young Black men of practical, high-paying skills and career paths, further disempowering them economically.
4. Economic Irrelevance: Making the Black Man Unable to Provide
   • Emphasize that by removing these economic opportunities, Black men were positioned as economically irrelevant within their communities and families, particularly in relation to Black women.
   • Discuss the cultural and social implications of this, particularly how it undermined the Black man’s role as a provider, which is often a key aspect of traditional masculinity.
5. Impact on Gender Dynamics: Income and Power Shifts
   • Explore the tension that arises when Black women out-earn Black men. While the income difference isn’t inherently a problem, it becomes one when it is misinterpreted as the man being lazy or irresponsible.
   • Analyze how this shift in earning power affects relationships, often leading to emotional abuse or emasculation, especially when societal norms still emphasize the man as the primary provider.
6. Long-Term Effects: A 65-Year Legacy of Economic Disempowerment
   • Fast forward to the present and examine how these policies from the 70s have had long-lasting effects on the Black community.
   • Discuss how the legacy of economic disempowerment continues to shape the dynamics between Black men and women, and how many are unaware of the historical roots of this economic disparity.
7. Conclusion: Understanding the Political and Economic Context
   • Conclude by emphasizing the importance of understanding the political and economic history that created these dynamics between Black men and women.
   • Encourage reflection on how these external factors have contributed to internal struggles in the Black community, particularly around income, identity, and relationship dynamics.