Breakdown:
- The Issue with Scapegoating:
- Responsibility Avoidance: There is a tendency to use leaders as scapegoats for personal and communal shortcomings.
- Burden on Leaders: Leaders often bear the blame for the community’s lack of progress, leading to their vilification.
- Messianic Mindset in Black Communities:
- Religious Influence: The belief that leaders will emerge divinely rather than through deliberate development.
- Lack of Preparation: Unlike other communities, there is a failure to intentionally train and build leaders, relying instead on divine intervention.
- Historical Context and Failures:
- Irreplaceable Icons: The deaths of leaders like Dr. King, Malcolm X, and Marcus Garvey left voids because no systematic leader-building was in place.
- Religious Doctrine in Politics: The approach to solving political problems is often influenced by religious thinking, which is ineffective.
- The Need for Collective Leadership:
- Team-Based Approach: Advocates for a multi-headed leadership structure to ensure continuity and resilience against threats.
- Spokesperson Role: Prefers the idea of being a spokesperson within a leadership team rather than a singular leader.
- Challenges in Building Effective Teams:
- Vetting Leaders: Identifying and developing leaders who are capable and trustworthy is crucial.
- Economic Independence: Leaders must be economically independent to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure they are not compromised by external influences.
- Practical Steps Forward:
- Training Programs: Implement structured programs to train future leaders across various demographics (men, women, youth, and elders).
- Economic Empowerment: Ensure that leaders have financial independence, preventing external control over their actions and decisions.
- Multi-Headed Leadership: Develop a board of directors-like structure for Black leadership to maintain movement continuity regardless of individual leaders’ fates.
By shifting from a messianic approach to a collective, economically independent leadership model, the community can build a sustainable and resilient path forward.