The Right Mindset for United African Movement
The enslavement of a people starts with defamation. When our revered ancestors were first introduced into slavery in the “New World”, they were described as “heathens”. Christians were not heathens. Therefore, Africans were initially barred from being introduced to Christianity. This actually kept the African mind intact.
In four hundred years, there has been a complete revolution in this country. Scores of Christian churches line the streets in many Black neighborhoods. Some of these churches resemble Madison Square Garden. On Sundays, Wells Fargo trucks line up to haul cash out of the Black community and into white banks while Blacks must seek sub-prime mortgages to secure housing.
To make matters worse, there is not a single, commercial, Black bank in New York City despite it being heralded as the “financial capital of the world” and New York City has the highest concentration of Blacks anywhere in the United States. With a lack of managed capital in Black hands, it is not surprising that Black businesses are virtually nil.
United African Movement sponsors the only weekly, Black political assembly in New York City. It is the only Black organization in New York that has been under legal attack for exercising the right to freely assemble and to freely associate with persons of like mind. Every Black radio host on every major “Black-oriented” commercial station opposes this race-based position.
Like with Black churches, UAM has never collected an admission fee even though UAM has featured many of the leading activists, authors and analysts in the Black world. Most of these guest appearances have required substantial outlays of cash for their presentations.
In the Black church, many of the members tithe. This allows for these churches to meet all of its day-to-day expenses. The staff is salaried. In addition to the basic donations, there are also several anniversaries which, in most instances, are unrelated to church expenses.
The central authority is usually the board of trustees or the deacon board. These bodies are not only navigators but also guarantors. Because a central authority has undertaken to meet church responsibilities, the pastor is irrelevant. In other words, “one monkey does not stop the show.”
Abyssinian Baptist Church, which currently sits in Harlem, was established two hundred years ago in lower Manhattan. One hundred years later, Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. became its pastor. Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. took over the helm in 1938. His stewardship of the church continued until his death in 1972.
Thirty-six years later, Abyssinian still exists. Churches are not affected by the death of their pastors because Blacks are committed to Jesus who most Blacks perceive as being a European. UAM has a Marcus Garvey but very little love exists for him. Thus, deference for revered ancestors in addition to loyalty and sacrifice are rare “commodities” in the Black world. The foundation for Black associations must be rooted in character and ethics.
With respect to sacrifice, for example, members of Black choirs not only practice weekly but they also defray all of the expenses of the choir. They buy church robes. They pay for all travel and they make donations for membership in the choir. Auxiliary groups in those churches function on the same principles.
This is not the case in UAM. I have had some members who have demanded payment for performing certain duties. These members view any assignment as a burden and they view UAM as a spectator sport. Their membership in UAM is to show family or friends that they are exotic.
You can take a mule to a pond but you cannot make the mule drink the water. Many Blacks are as stubborn as mules but sly as foxes. They make up the Fifth Column. Their tactics include covert operations. These saboteurs behave like termites.
For many reasons, Blacks are not ready for UAM. It starts with addiction to whites. Our spending habits reveal our mindsets. We spend less than five cents out of every dollar with each other. In politics, we endorse our oppression. The historic Peg Leg Bates, for example, is off-limits for our dollars. We must reverse this mindset.
UAM must not only face the question of a succession of leadership but also a support for independent and militant leadership. Anyone who succeeds Marcus Garvey must anticipate the same legal challenges. The question is whether any leader of UAM will be a sacrificial lamb or will receive the full and unconditional support of UAM. If you kill the head, will you also kill the body?
The enslavement of a people starts with defamation. When our revered ancestors were first introduced into slavery in the “New World”, they were described as “heathens”. Christians were not heathens. Therefore, Africans were initially barred from being introduced to Christianity. This actually kept the African mind intact.
In four hundred years, there has been a complete revolution in this country. Scores of Christian churches line the streets in many Black neighborhoods. Some of these churches resemble Madison Square Garden. On Sundays, Wells Fargo trucks line up to haul cash out of the Black community and into white banks while Blacks must seek sub-prime mortgages to secure housing.
To make matters worse, there is not a single, commercial, Black bank in New York City despite it being heralded as the “financial capital of the world” and New York City has the highest concentration of Blacks anywhere in the United States. With a lack of managed capital in Black hands, it is not surprising that Black businesses are virtually nil.
United African Movement sponsors the only weekly, Black political assembly in New York City. It is the only Black organization in New York that has been under legal attack for exercising the right to freely assemble and to freely associate with persons of like mind. Every Black radio host on every major “Black-oriented” commercial station opposes this race-based position.
Like with Black churches, UAM has never collected an admission fee even though UAM has featured many of the leading activists, authors and analysts in the Black world. Most of these guest appearances have required substantial outlays of cash for their presentations.
In the Black church, many of the members tithe. This allows for these churches to meet all of its day-to-day expenses. The staff is salaried. In addition to the basic donations, there are also several anniversaries which, in most instances, are unrelated to church expenses.
The central authority is usually the board of trustees or the deacon board. These bodies are not only navigators but also guarantors. Because a central authority has undertaken to meet church responsibilities, the pastor is irrelevant. In other words, “one monkey does not stop the show.”
Abyssinian Baptist Church, which currently sits in Harlem, was established two hundred years ago in lower Manhattan. One hundred years later, Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. became its pastor. Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. took over the helm in 1938. His stewardship of the church continued until his death in 1972.
Thirty-six years later, Abyssinian still exists. Churches are not affected by the death of their pastors because Blacks are committed to Jesus who most Blacks perceive as being a European. UAM has a Marcus Garvey but very little love exists for him. Thus, deference for revered ancestors in addition to loyalty and sacrifice are rare “commodities” in the Black world. The foundation for Black associations must be rooted in character and ethics.
With respect to sacrifice, for example, members of Black choirs not only practice weekly but they also defray all of the expenses of the choir. They buy church robes. They pay for all travel and they make donations for membership in the choir. Auxiliary groups in those churches function on the same principles.
This is not the case in UAM. I have had some members who have demanded payment for performing certain duties. These members view any assignment as a burden and they view UAM as a spectator sport. Their membership in UAM is to show family or friends that they are exotic.
You can take a mule to a pond but you cannot make the mule drink the water. Many Blacks are as stubborn as mules but sly as foxes. They make up the Fifth Column. Their tactics include covert operations. These saboteurs behave like termites.
For many reasons, Blacks are not ready for UAM. It starts with addiction to whites. Our spending habits reveal our mindsets. We spend less than five cents out of every dollar with each other. In politics, we endorse our oppression. The historic Peg Leg Bates, for example, is off-limits for our dollars. We must reverse this mindset.
UAM must not only face the question of a succession of leadership but also a support for independent and militant leadership. Anyone who succeeds Marcus Garvey must anticipate the same legal challenges. The question is whether any leader of UAM will be a sacrificial lamb or will receive the full and unconditional support of UAM. If you kill the head, will you also kill the body?
posted by Attorney Alton Maddox at 7:18 PM
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