Is
marching a waste of shoe-leather? This is what John Henrik Clarke
said about marching.
Before the March on Washington, Malcolm
X predicted that African Americans would still be marching 50 years
later – check out this video clip.
Malcolm
claimed Black people did not have the moral high ground because we
did not own our own businesses, and therefore could not employ our
own people, as other communities did and still do.
However,
his argument was naïve because we know that banks and financial
institutions discriminated against Black business owners and would-be
entrepreneurs.
And when
Black people did set up their own thriving business communities,
these communities were sometimes brutally attacked, as was the case
with the Black Wall Street.
Still,
when we look at the situation today, where Black people often do not
patronise businesses in our own communities, but instead rush to
spend our money in other communities, we need to remember Brother
Malcolm's words. It's up to us to employ our own people, just as
other communities do. In order to do this, we need to build a Strong Black Business Community.
I believe it was important to have a nationwide March on Washington. It was a significant moment in history and still has an impact today. But is it still useful to keep on marching? I don't think so. What do you think? Leave your comments below.
1 comment:
Hi Zhana, in my opinion the March last Saturday was not a waste of time. It was and always will be a memorial celebration for those who 50 years ago, marched with no regard to their personal safety.
I adore brother Malcolm and think it's fine that he and others didn't think a march to demand civil rights (fair pay, housing, the vote, etc) from the government was the way to go. There is more than one way to skin a cat and a big cat (so to speak) got skinned following the march.
If nothing else history has shown that the struggle for human rights is constant. It is not a one off achievement. It requires vigilance and courage from those to demand it and from those to give it. My father and maternal grandfather were at the 1st march. I was at the 20th anniversary. My sister attended the 50th anniversary.
What a fabulous opportunity for so many to gather at King's memorial. Here is what John Lewis has to say, he who was the youngest speaker in 1963; he who has literally bled so that I can vote:http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/08/24/2523101/john-lewis-march-washington-going-stand-let-supreme-court-vote/
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