Black people have always had a few outspoken leaders to help motivate the masses to accomplish a goal. But in present time there is no need for us to wait on someone to tell us what needs to be done. We already know the issues at hand.
There is a need for a leader in the black community here in America, but I believe a leader can be “everyday regular people.”
A couple of days ago I was talking to a black male at the bus stop about the issues that blacks seem to be unable to get rid of. Surprisingly, the man was aware and understood a great deal about the mistreatment of blacks in America, but he kept saying “we need a leader; we need a leader to move us.”
But, in the back of my mind I was thinking, do blacks really need an individual to come and pull our hands and tell us what to do all the time. When God has blessed every human being with the ability to think for him or herself?
Throughout history, blacks have always had strong leaders to guide them and be good examples on how to love ourselves and overcome psychological oppression.
During slavery, blacks had leaders such as Nat Turner, Denmark Vesey, and Gabriel Prosser. And in the twentieth century, blacks had leaders such as the great Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Ida B. Wells.
Although the black community has always had great leaders, the difference between now and then is that there are more college-educated blacks now than ever before. Therefore, the black community does not need to solely depend on one leader to get the job done. Since there are so many educated blacks in different professions, everyone should be a leader in his or her own way.
The issues that black Americans have are no secret. Furthermore, it is imperative that blacks that have an education and access to information feel obligated to lead. These educated black people should be prepared to pave the way for other blacks that are less fortunate or ignorant of what is taking place around them. Because, that’s what the other races do anyway.
One way educated black people can be leaders is to teach younger blacks the history of the race. Not only should these educated blacks teach the history, but also the history needs to be taught accurately. An issue that is discussed regularly at black leadership seminars and in black news articles is that blacks are not taught all of the history of their race but are given part of the information.
Leaders do not have to be on television or on the radio. There are too many educated black people who know the issues that plague the black community for us to be sitting around waiting for someone to take a stand and lead the crowd.
Ashley Bates is a sophomore broadcast journalism student from Pensacola. She can be reached at famuanopinions@ho tmail.com.