Being Frank
By: Frank James
Special to the Milwaukee Times
I was at a meeting and saw an African American woman wearing a shirt that said ‘equality’ across the front. At first I didn’t pay the shirt any mind. As the meeting went on the shirt drew my attention. The woman was presenting, and the word was emblazoned on the front of the shirt. I deduced the shirt was a statement designed to get equality for some faction of the US population. The more I looked at the shirt I began to wonder, “Is equality good for everyone?”
There is a fine line between equality and sameness. I pondered if the lines had been blurred between these two points in people’s minds in the USA. What is equality in this country? Is it treating everyone the same? Is it making everyone the same? As I sat and looked around the crowd I thought, “Do I want to be equal to these people?” The woman wearing the shirt was African American. I began to wonder if the purpose of the shirt was the time worn equality statement African Americans had wanted for centuries in the USA. The question in my mind was, “Is being equal to whites and other races beneficial to black people? “
African American scholars across the country will rant about how blacks created the majority of inventions, sciences and math. The history of the world is dominated by black genius even through the dark times of the last 2000 years. With this in mind, why would blacks want to be equal to the people they trained that later returned the favor by enslaving them? This is where the equality statement fails true black potential.
Equal to whom? Equal to a race of people who have overstated their input on history? Equal to the race of people who were the first slave catchers before the European came on the scene? Who are African Americans striving to be equal to? I would like to believe that African Americans have sense to know that whites will never view them as equal in any country on the planet. It is time for African Americans to ask, “What measuring stick is being used for equality? Is it designed to help the black race reach its full potential?” These are the questions that scare people of all races.
Black people have been beaten down to the point where all they want is to be looked at as equal to their oppressors. By force, religion and mental manipulation black people have been broken down on all levels. This is why they crave to be treated equal to the people who did the damage. The loss of self worth has given the black people on the planet a twisted sense of Stockholm Syndrome, where the goal is to be equal to people who are not on their level. If I want to control a people for generations I have make sure they do not reach their potential. In order to do this I have to get them to measure their potential by my standards and pursue equality on my scale. This is why equality to other races has not worked for black people on the planet. Being equal to other races does not ensure black people will reach their full potential.
African Americans love to talk about how they dominate pro sports. What if Michael Jordan had striven to be equal to his peers in basketball? What if Randy Moss or Ray Lewis only striven to only be equal to their peers in football? If African Americans want to be better in sports than other races then why not be better in everyday living? Why not eliminate the quest for equality in all aspects of life and seek to dominate, maybe conquer?
This is not a put-down of other races but an eye opener to African Americans. African American people, are you willing to settle for equality or will you seek your true potential and be great?
Frank James IV © 2019
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.
