By: Frank James
Special to the Milwaukee Times
Is there a safe place for African Americans in the USA in 2026? What area, or city, can African Americans go to in order to feel safe and relax? This question came to me as I listened to an African American male talk about where he felt safe in a city. The answer to the previous questions should be, “An area where other African Americans reside.” In todays’ world that statement might be a lie.
The African American male was adamant about the fact that when he visited another city, or in his home town, he felt safer in all white environments. I listened to him and thought, “Is he right? Do I feel comfortable, and safe, around white people more so than African Americans?” I ended the conversation with the African American and continued thinking. “Has self hate corrupted the African American mind to the point where they feel safer around those who have exploited them, than themselves?” The question was so simple I had to laugh because the answer went straight to the root of the issues that plague the African American community. Many African Americans feel safer in predominately white environments.
Many will argue that this is a broad statement and point to the make up of the majority of cities that have a high number of African Americans. Yes, looking at a typical US city, it would seem that African Americans seek each other out. This is true, but are they seeking African American communities for safety, or because they cannot afford to live anywhere else? Are African Americans safe in the areas they live in that are majority African American? These are the questions where the answers can get uncomfortable.
There is no need to mention the crime rate in any so called, “African American Ghetto.” We all have heard the numbers and seen the actions that shock the world about African American interactions. The endless violence. The anger and aggression towards each other. The failing schools that are located in many African American communities. Are these factors that lead African Americans to feel safer around the people who created their misery? Is the seeking of safety around whites by African Americans even a sane act? I’ll let you answer these questions yourself.
We all know self hate is one of the main ingredients of the misery that shapes many African American communities. Yet, there is another ingredient that is often overlooked that gives the miasma kick. Ignorance. Ignorance has become a mainstay in the African American community to the point where African Americans see it as the norm. Ignorance of self, and lack of common sense, has warped the mindset of many African Americans in the USA. Ignorance leads to mental lack that keeps African Americans from understanding the issues they face. An ignorant person would run to the people who created their misery out of blindness seeking safety. Doesn’t that sound like many African Americans in 2026?
African Americans should have overcome self hate, and ignorance, with all the technological advances in modern society. That does not seem to be the case. The African American male mentioned earlier has a degree, and uses technology daily for work and pleasure. Is he ignorant, or just being realistic in his assessment of the state of the African American community?
Are African Americans truly safe in all white environments? I won’t answer this because there is one common factor that follows African Americans wherever they go. That common factor is themselves. If an ignorant, self hating, African American moves to White Heaven, they will still be who they are. In such cases their ignorance, and self hate, may provoke the heavenly whites to attack on various levels. After all, who wants to be around someone who hates their own people, and self?
There will be no safe place for African Americans anywhere on the planet until they feel safe with what is looking back from the mirror. Until that day comes, White Heaven beckons.
Frank James IV © 2026
beingfrankwithfrank@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or HT Group, LLC, its staff or management. “Being Frank” is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.
