Nelson Mandela, the committed South African warrior, has been buried. Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama parted ways in the spiritual journey to lead their nations through conflict. Both nations are still impacted by the economic misfortunes of black people.
Mandela, even as he left prison, had his fist in the air. His association with the African National Congress and his community — no matter what other relationships he cultivated, he always hoisted the symbol of his freedom and his power in his hand.
It is the absence of clear, distinct power and ownership that we see from all those who regale in absence of a movement for this fallen warrior. They are uncommitted in their movement, for those in the most unfortunate economic circumstances are literally still in existence in South Africa, South Central, in South Chicago, Southeast and Southwest Atlanta we see absence in the commitment to the advancement of African American progress.
John Rogers was recently quoted talking about the absence of African American businesses flourishing around the country and in south Chicago. Yet, our president — who knows this history — has put forward no pen to save us from the economic peril, while Wall Street and banks post phenomenal growth. The stock market has no accessible fund to boost the economic progress of the African American community. It is the race rule that has been written in invisible code words like total market that the Nelson Mandela funeral a mockery of a true statesmen.
Everyone says there is progression, yet we see urban African American communities decline at an appalling rate. The African American unemployment rate is 12.5 percent, the African American teenage unemployment is 35.8 percent. These facts resurrect a commitment not just for a higher minimum wage but an investigation into the economic problem of African American businesses not flourishing. This speaks to the racial makeup of new age companies and who they choose to hire.
Forever Nelson Mandela, a symbol of protest who’s fists are in the air but have we lost our ability to raise our fists in a nonprofit, nonviolent protest to sustain the heartbeat of giants like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who like Mandela was jailed as a result of his fight against racism and inequality.
We must reflect on the commitment of executives in marketing and investments. Are they committed to hiring African American businesses? If there is any progress to be made, it must be at the post burial of Mandela where Barack Obama is taken to task on the value of his commitment to African American progress.
Even in Chicago, the president’s hometown, corporations do business with the U.S. government, do business with city government, but do not do business with African American businesses. This business of capitalism must include all of the citizens of that population.
We hope our fallen heroes rest in peace. We ask our living heroes, to whom we want to give our utmost respect, to be honest about the misery and the disrespect that is currently being suffered by African American citizens, business people and intellectuals. They are being attacked by businesses who now see our fists down and our unity as a community as being complacent, apathetic and non-unified.
Let not the Nelson Mandela reflections and the selfies that were taken at his memorial service allow us to ignore the tragedy and the continued existence of racism in the penal system and the economic system that is inflicting a severe tax and tactics on African American progress.
