RESOLVED: THERE IS NO BLACK COMMUNITY.

'black' in American society is a caste.

If caste is, or can be, construed as a 'community' in some context, have at it.

'black' is the object of repression of European America, and the benign complicity of all other Americans.

'black' is an identifiable group of people noted ONLY by the commonality of color.

That's not community.

That is condition.

PEACE

Jim Chester

the challenege for afrikan americans in building or creating community is first understanding what the word really means or conveys. the most simple concept i have come to understand is that community is just common-unity...there was a time where that wasnt hard to see or define. but now that "we are free" we have seen that freedom as the right to do whatever we want (in most cases those acts/actions not really being to our benefit). it is this belief that we are free that hides those plights which unify us as a people. we are still not financially secure as whole, we are still not educated as a whole, we are still deaf, dumb and blind to who we are as whole. all of these things are things we should and could rally around, it seems to me that the task is not finding what unites us... its finding a way to convey those things to the rest of us. getting us to realize that the only justice we have right now is just that just-us.

As long as this sports mentality has us constantly trying to beat each other at trivial sh!t we are not going to have any community.

umbrarchist

quote:

Originally posted by MBM:
RESOLVED: THERE IS NO BLACK COMMUNITY.

There are just groups of African Americans who interact with each other in a variety of ways, but there is no cohevsive community in the same way that other ethnic minorities have in this country. There is no unifying agenda. There is no collective interest that would seem to be a key component of a community.

Agree or disagree?

Ummmm, yep ... that pretty well descibes it for me!! As heart wrenching as it is I would have to give that statement a .

Of course, my first knee-jerk response was, "Of course there is ... why would MBM ask such a question?" But, if you're gonna put it like that, it's hard to find a rationale for that answer.

But I believe a major component of a "community" is looking out for each other. And we may do it in our families and in our neighborhoods, but certanly not as a whole. Black-on-Black crime and the high death rate caused by it is only one set of statistics that tends to prove that.

'There are just groups of African Americans who interact with each other...'---MBM

A further look at this foundation statement makes a subtle, and inaccurate point.

The community of 'black' people is more than a group of African Americans.

African American-Americans are a distinct, and separate, subset of the 'black' population of the nation. They/we are the descendants of native-born Americans who are/were of unknown African ancestry.

The 'black' population of our nation is wide variety of nationalities with the commonality of an African ancestry, both knnown and unknown.

PEACE

Jim Chester

quote:

Originally posted by James Wesley Chester:

The 'black' population of our nation is wide variety of nationalities with the commonality of an African ancestry, both knnown and unknown.

James, to be clear, this question did not intend to explore the nuances of definition or identity that I know are so important to you and others. "Black Community" was used here in the colloquial form to infer/mean "African American".

To those who think that there is no "black community", could it be that there is one, but the connection is just rather weak at this point? Could we be a community, but just be in a weakened position against all that attacks us at the moment? Thoughts?

There are black communities out there. They are called extended famililes. The problem lies with the historical disconnect within those families, ultimately leading to a historical disconnection with our people.
Dr. Akbar talks about this. He also gives a good comparison of black people with the story of Isis and Osiris.Osirian Myth and Black Awakening
I think that its all in our mindset, our mentality. We can be a community if we really wanted to be. But first you must love yourself and others who look like you.
The Effects of Internalized Oppression
Ultimate Liberation:Freeing the Mind

quote:

Originally posted by James Wesley Chester:
'black' in American society is a caste.

If caste is, or can be, construed as a 'community' in some context, have at it.

'black' is the object of repression of European America, and the benign complicity of all other Americans.

'black' is an identifiable group of people noted ONLY by the commonality of color.

That's not community.

That is condition.

PEACE

Jim Chester

Agreed.

"Black Community" was used here in the colloquial form to infer/mean "African American".---MBM

Not trying to be obtuse, and certainly not trying to thwart meritied conversation on the thread, but...

Using 'black community' for the 'colloquial equivalent' (to infer/mean) African American is exactly what distorts the meaning of African American.

I know it has to feel needlessly tedious, but if we are lazy, or uncaring about who we are called, why should anyone else care?

The terms are not interchangeable.

The language of our society when referring to us is only what we insist that it be.

PEACE

Jim Chester

quote:

Originally posted by James Wesley Chester:

Using 'black community' for the 'colloquial equivalent' (to infer/mean) African American is exactly what distorts the meaning of African American.

I know it has to feel needlessly tedious, but if we are lazy, or uncaring about who we are called, why should anyone else care?

The terms are not interchangeable.

Jim - since the VAST majority of "black" people in this country are African American - I'm not sure how there is any confusion about this issue. Furthermore, to the degree that those black folks of other nationalities feel kinship with African Americans, and that kinship impacts the "black community" - then I'm cool with including them in this discussion and making this an exploration of the broader black American community.

quote:

Originally posted by MBM:
To those who think that there is no "black community", could it be that there is one, but the connection is just rather weak at this point? Could we be a community, but just be in a weakened position against all that attacks us at the moment? Thoughts?

Hmmm .. this would be a "no" for me. I believe the problem with our inability to connect as a community is more societal and selfish. Too many of us are in it for ourselves. Our goal is the 'American Dream' and that's basically something that you have to earn on your own, get on your own, and maintain on your own. And in this society, this is what is done.

Black folk need to realize it's "us against them" not "us against us trying to get our own." We are not weak. Just institutionalized.

We are not weak. Just institutionalized.---EbonyRose

I said essentially the same thing in another thread.

I am always reminded to give credit to your 'Texas dsughter', Dr. Joy DeGruy-Leary, for her work in African American resolution with her benchmark 'DeGruy-Leary Effect.

PEACE

Jim Chester

Jim - since the VAST majority of "black" people in this country are African American - I'm not sure how there is any confusion about this issue. Furthermore, to the degree that those black folks of other nationalities feel kinship with African Americans, and that kinship impacts the "black community" - then I'm cool with including them in this discussion and making this an exploration of the broader black American community.---MBM

Two points:

Most important, my comment was stated to not intend any 'stifling' of discussion.

Less important, but equally valid:

Demographics was not the point.

Interchangeability is the point.

Your premise:

There are just groups of African Americans who interact with each other in a variety of ways, but there is no cohevsive community in the same way that other ethnic minorities have in this country. There is no unifying agenda. There is no collective interest that would seem to be a key component of a community.

Pointing of the distinction within the population is consistent with your ground rules.

Clearly, we are not monolithic.

We both say that.

We are not groups of African Americans.

As you say/imply, we are groups of African ancestry, known and unknown.

No comfort denied.

PEACE

Jim Chester

American means white, and Africanist people struggle to make the term applicable to themselves with ethnicity and hyphen after hyphen after hyphen. -- Toni Morrison.

We need total unification amongst ourselves so that when the next massive storm hits, we're not crappin' in plastic bags with no food to eat, and nowhere to lay our heads, and no money. Unification and Preparation 'cause Casper's not gonna be anywhere on the premises.

quote:

Originally posted by Norland:
American means white, and Africanist people struggle to make the term applicable to themselves with ethnicity and hyphen after hyphen after hyphen. -- Toni Morrison.

No... American only means white as long as we allow white people to define who and what we are.

Personally, I choose to define myself.