African Americans have always had struggles in the USA. The drugs and violence in the African American community has been around for decades. There is nothing new about poverty in the inner city where African Americans reside. Yet, in 2024 African Americans have sunk to a level where many African American youth are simply happy to be alive. How did this situation come about? What happened?
One major reason African American aspirations have dropped so low is that the love African Americans express for each other has diminished over time. The 2024 African American has taken the anger that they feel abut society and applied it to other African Americans. The simple act of speaking and acknowledging other African Americans has been lost. African Americans often look at each other as the enemy. This is why African American violence toward each other is an issue in the USA. Many African Americans talk about, “brotherly love,” but apply this to other races, not African Americans. What happened to black Pride?
I was talking to an African American male in his early twenties. This young man felt that he was winning in life because he was alive. I agreed figuring he was going to expound about a goal he was working toward. This young man went on to tell me that he was glad that he was not in a grave because so many people he knew were dead. I looked at him and saw that he was being genuine. How did life in the African American community come to this? To a point where success for African Americans means simply living to be 25? African American people, life is a marathon, not a sprint. At 25, a person is just getting started on understanding who they are. The way this young man was talking had me thinking that 25 years old was an achievement worthy of a gold watch. Have the goals and aspirations of African American youth been diminished to the point where any job, or situation is a success just because you are alive and not in prison? What happened?
African Americans used to have grandiose dreams and strives to achieve them. In 2024 many African Americans’ main goal is simply to live to see another New Year. Who is at fault for this? The easy answer is US society. That is not the correct answer. US society plays a big role in the situation African Americans are in; but it is not the main reason. The main reason is African American people.
Tell the truth and shame the devil, African American people. Who is it is that is creating the music that has African American youth glorifying negative images? Many African American youth come from stable households, yet they want to be “street.” Whose hand is often on the trigger when an African American is blasted into the hereafter? Whose hand is pushing the drugs and that have poisoned generations of African Americans? I know what you are saying, there is a white hand behind these situations. In all honesty, that is true. But, the hand that is doing the actual work, is African American.
The 2024 Presidential race is winding down. As this event wraps up, each individual African American needs to look at their existence. No politician can clean up African American issues. No amount of legislation will correct African American woes. The work has to be done by each individual African American, inside their own head. African Americans need to get some sense of love and pride for each other instilled into their heads. If not, in the year 2040 there won’t be any African Americans around to ask what happened.
Frank James IV © 2024
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.
