On one hand, many people will criticize me and my other Pro-Black brethren about this concept of race being a divisive factor and by focusing on Black issues, I am "a generation behind"; it is no longer Black issues or Black vs White but rather rich vs poor. Now, I agree with both of these above statements: race is a man-made tool meant to divide people and the rich are serving to oppress the poor. However, the issues of the Black community are unlike any other issues faced by any other group of people in America. Whether or not I as an individual believe in this thing called "race", people in America undoubtedly can be (and are) classified by race and the basis of many prejeudices and discrimination is the concept of race. With that being said, we have to recognize the issues that plague and affect the Black community in a unique way and address these issues specifically in relation to our race.
The Black experience in America is unlike the White, Hispanic, Native American, or Asian experience. Our race and culture was constructed from slavery, creating a multitude of psychological, social, economic, and mental issues for the descendants of slaves. Issues such as poor self-concept, lack of education, generational poverty, family dysfunction, disunity, etc plague our community severely as a result of slavery. Furthermore, racism has been institutionalized and Black people still comprise the majority of individuals in America who are impoverished and incarcerated. Innercity communities remain to be primarily Black and Brown, and in these communities, schools remain to be inadequate, and negative images and values are reinforced (i.e violence, chauvinism, materialism, false idolization etc).
Now, America wants us to essentially disregard the strife we face due to our race and take personal responisbility for our prosperity, or lack thereof. Now, I agree that we do have to take personal responsibility for the choices we make and the consequences that result. We are afforded opportunities in this day and age to be "successful" ( by American standards). However, as a Black person, the obstacles that we face are unmatched by any other race- they are so unique to our people because (1) society has policies and laws set in place that oppress Blacks (directly and indirectly) and (2) the psychological/social issues that have been ingrained into Black individuals, Black culture, and Black communities remain unaddressed and continually detrimental. I think that the latter is most important to focus on reforming because society will not be changed so readily; however our behaviors can simply be unlearned, once we have the knowledge to do so.
I think if as individuals, if we can see the errors in our ways, we can work to correct them. I think many times, such as with the Occupy Movement, revolution and change is the desired outcome, however gathering a mass of uninformed, unaware individuals will not bring about the desired results. It will not bring about permanent, lasting change either.
If the Black community continues to disregard our African origins and disregard the effects of slavery, we will never truly understand the problems that plague us today and therefore can not work to correct these problems. I think its important for someone to stand up and say "I love my Black People and what is happening to my brothers and sisters isn't right and I want to make a change." I read something earlier that said Black children are expendable (in reference to the Trayvon Martin incident). Society obviously doesn't care about the astronomical rates of unemployment, violence, incarceration, AIDS, and single parent families that have been plaguing the Black community for decades. Somebody has to care.
Its not about separating us--- its about empowerment. An oppressed community needs to be empowered in order to prosper. We are individually and collectively suffering physically and spiritually. Its not about "hating them", just about loving us. Our past is apart of us. It can never be changed or forgotten, and shouldn't be. It has made our race and culture into what it is today, both negative and positive. Unfortunately, society works to highlight and accentuate the negatives and shun the positive and the beautiful. Even if as a Black woman in America I will never be afforded a truly equal opportunity, I think it is important that we be prepared to take on the injustices of society by being strong in mind, body, and spirit, and by being aware of our past and the present state of our race and the attitudes of the people. This awareness and education will uplift our people and as a result revolutionize America and our society.