The measuring stick for success in sports is how many victories a team or individual achieves. In business the measuring stick for success is how much money and assets are made or acquired. In life the measuring stick for success depends upon who you ask. In the African American community there is plenty of success; yet, it isn’t acknowledged. It is time to celebrate African American success in the USA.
I am not talking about the key trade of a pro athlete that won a championship in some sport. The successes I am referring to are the daily successes that seem insignificant. Consider the success of a student who completes an assignment and receives an A for the grade or the success of a parent who cooks a nourishing meal for their children. How about the success of an African American person understanding that they are much more than what they are perceived as by society. These may be examples of small successes, but are building blocks to greater success.
In the turmoil that is called education in the USA, there are a number of African Americans who don’t succeed. This is not a failure on their part but the failure of the system as a whole. Yet, there are a good number of African American students who do get decent grades in school. The ability to go into a classroom and achieve in a learning environment and curriculum that is against you is a success. This success is increased if the African American student understands that the education is a tool to be used and not be used by. Many will say this is an insignificant success. These types of successes can lead to the formation of a more savvy African American – an African American that can use the system to increase the status of the African American people in the USA and around the world.
In today’s society fast food has become the norm. If people are not going to restaurants for fast food they are making a form of it at home. The dinosaur chicken and Ramen noodles that are consumed in many households are not healthy meals. These examples of food do not give children the nourishment needed to be well balanced on a nutritional scale. A parent that takes the time to cook a wholesome meal for their children is laying the blueprint for a physically healthy child. This is the type of child that tends to perform better in school and usually in life. A wholesome meal can cut down on both physical and emotional health problems in the future. This small success can lead to more healthy and thinking African Americans. This small building block can create a united and functioning African American community.
An African American person who understands who they are and where they are going is a success. This success in greatly increased if the African American understands the system they are in and grasps the reason behind the persecution. An African American who knows the power of who and what they are is key to the creation of a powerful community. Success is an African American that refuses to be defined by Caucasian standards and seeks greatness on a Black scale. Imagine how the USA would look if 40-plus million African American understood the previous statement.
African American people, enjoy your success and do not let anyone take your glory. The successes may seem small, but they will grow. These small successes are the steps to major success and a free African American people.
Frank James IV © 2021
beingfrankwithfrank@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or NCON Communication, its staff or management. “Being Frank” is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.