In the dictionary definition, democracy "is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system." In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."Democracy is supposed to be set of ideas and principles about freedom. We have been told that is consists of a set of practices and procedures that have been set forth by our forefathers consisting of these four basic elements:1. A political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections.2. The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life.3. Protection of the human rights of all citizens.4. A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.Today we have the opportunity to exercise what we believe as a collective group of citizens.What will we do with this opportunity? We will get drunk and raise the roof, what are we celebrating? It will be time to roll up our proverbial sleeves and improve upon whatever we are doing to be individuals that model the behavior of new president. Let's be sensible and really make a difference.President-Elect Barack Obama has shown us what it takes to fight for what he believes in. He has shown us that he believes in the America we were destined to be. Not just a super-power globally, but a country that takes care of its citizens.Be proud, be happy, be mindful the now the work has just begun.Omitunde, Publisher of African American Family ConnectionAn online magazine about African American Family values and community.Visit AAFC for the latest issue each month and a copy of "The Ripple Effect"Read more…
According to Target Market News, in 2005 Blacks/ African Americans spent $719 billion dollars on goods and services. It is projected that the buying power of Blacks/ African Americans will be $1 trillion dollars by the calendar year 2010. When I recently Googled 'black buying power' I was surprised by the number of professional articles I found that talked about how to market to Black/ African American people. Of the few articles I perused, not one of them talked about their corporate/ organizational responsibility to the communities they want to fleece. Not one of them mentioned the needs that exist in many of our communities. I was only five or six articles in when I got a clear image of a world (with few exceptions) that wants to take everything they can from us and give NOTHING back in return.An adage that I was taught many moons ago simply states: He who has the gold rules. It seems to me that since we as a race have the gold we should be ruling. I am so very happy to see the numbers of our people who are beginning to network with and patronize one another in greater numbers than ever before. I'm so happy that our value and worth are now being recognized and our historical accomplishments are no longer being hidden from our youth. But I am very curious and concerned about one thing. What is going to happen when our hard earned dollars are circulating in our own communities several times? What will happen as more and more sisters revert back to natural hair styles and patronizing black only nail techs in order to break the back of the Asian Connection that is not only taking over the hair care industry but is making inferior copies of black produced products while systematically nudging us out of the market? What is going to happen when there are lines outside of black owned grocery stores, liquor stores and gas stations while those that are owned and managed by other ethnicities become virtually empty? What is going to happen when our children are able to find summer jobs and internships within our own communities? What will happen as a result of us using our wealth for our own sustenance, empowerment, and glory?Personally, I don't think the rest of the world will stand idly by and let that happen. I suspect that at the very least we will all have a bunch of new found friends whose main concern will be to win our business away from our own family (I love that term as opposed to the n-word and it is soooooo fitting - my brothers and sisters). As that time approaches and as we deliberate regarding how to handle the opposition that is sure to come, let us remember that people of many nationalities would not hire one of us for any reason; and many of those who did required us to work for minimum wage money under the table, doing work that is beneath them so we would not be entitled to any working benefits or unemployment. Let us remember that many of them treated us like second or third class citizens while we were patronizing their establishments. Many of them intentionally cheat us and our children then get an attitude when we bring their -ah hem- error to their attention. I'm so glad that growing numbers of us are finally working in concert toward leveling the playing field. But remember, just because we deserve to benefit from the power of our own buying power doesn't mean they will sit by idly and let us.BTW: They in this blog specifically refers to people who are either not ethnically recognized as being Black or African American or supporters of the equal rights and entitlements of Blacks/African Americans.
Read more…
