Are Black People Allowing Themselves to Become Victims of Silence?

How often have we heard that we aren’t supposed to discuss politics and/or race under any circumstances? While it is fully understood that topics such as these shouldn’t be discussed in workplace settings where non-Black people make the majority  of the employees, shouldn’t there still be a platform where we as Melanoid  people have the opportunity to dialogue and build in terms of countering systematic white supremacy with a system of justice that enables us to thrive just like non-Melanoid people?

Although the aforementioned question seems reasonable enough, many Black people find themselves treading lightly to the point of silence when it comes to speaking out (or implementing action) for Melanoid Empowerment. Even though we have witnessed a recent uptick in the unapologetic recognition of Black issues and culture, we still see Black silence occurring on all levels of Black Society. Perhaps, this is not more evident than in the ranks of many  (not all) of our Brothers and Sisters in the entertainment industry. In his book, titled Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete, William C. Rhoden shows the gradual shift from Black athletes who used their platforms of celebrity to address–and fight–for Black causes, to their counterparts of following generations who were enticed with the perks of unprecedented riches under the condition that they remain silent and detached from addressing the same issues their predecessors openly fought for.

Our Brothers and Sisters in everyday Black Society aren’t exempt from the choke hold of silence either. The common thought process among our people is to wait for a Black Savior to speak or act for them, or they fear that they will be severely punished for spearheading endeavors in favor of Melanoid Empowerment themselves. Some even say that they will remain silent because they feel that their contributions to Black Society would be undervalued, which is another way of saying that they simply don’t care in the first place.

Black Outspokenness doesn’t necessarily equate to Black progress, as we all too often see. However, nothing speaks to the perpetual erosion of Black Society more than Black silence. As Dr. King once stated, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” There may be those of us who aren’t as vocal as others, but our actions will speak for us as they emanate louder than words anyway. How are your actions benefiting or hurting the community?

by B. Clark