In American society there is something that exists that is called the wealth gap… that’s the difference between the wealth of whites and other races including blacks in this country. And although the income gap has decreased over time the wealth gap has gotten worse for black americans. So as our income goes up over time the amount we are keeping is has not. I believe the reason this is happening is because the more money we get the more money we spend on things to make us feel like we are doing better instead of using it on things that will actually make us better.
What do I mean by this…well as our income increases we buy houses and cars and clothes and all the depreciating assets that will make us look like we got it. Instead of spending money on therapy to combat the trauma we have endured generation after generation in a racist society. Or family therapy to learn to restore the family structure that was taken away from us.
Unfortunately, we’ve been told we aint shit or we believe we ain’t shit so we gotta use shit, buy shit and flaunt shit to feel like the shit.
That’s why I cringe when the only solutions to the racial injustice is getting more money for black people or upward mobility (Moving on up like the jeffersons)….We continue to preach this rhetoric decade after decade, that we will be better when we have more money. I contend that we will be better when we Know our Worth regardless of our net worth.
We keep saying things like we are “already behind” because we don’t have property or generational wealth as a people but WE are NOT. We’ve never been behind we’ve just been made to believe that we were. I believe that money is a tool to be used to accomplish the things that we desire. If that’s the case saying black people are behind is like saying a skilled carpenter is behind because he doesn’t have tools. Of course he is limited without tools but if he has the will he can build what he needs with what he has and then as soon as he gets the tools he needs he’s off to the races.
I think our solution lies more in getting the skills to build what we desire and believe that we have value as a people just as we are. So that we can start now getting the quality of life that we deserve instead of waiting for the day that racism ends.
Think about gentrification. In our divested communities we treat our property as though it has no value and by neglecting the upkeep of our homes and our community amenities. Then the others come in and recognize the value that was always there and take it for their own. That’s what its like on a personal level we feel like there is no value so we don’t invest in ourselves we spend all of our money trying to look like we have value instead of actually working on having it.
I mean If we were so behind why is appropriation even a thing? There is so much value in us that we don’t even recognize that we leave ourselves open to people taking what is ours and calling it theirs.
So I refuse to believe the only way to get ahead is to play a game in a system that was created by the same people that told you you were worthless to begin with. A game were the system is rigged against you..a game you can never win.
No wonder we still are feeling behind.
But there is a better way, by recognizing the intrinsic value that lies within all of us we can start to make a real difference in our self worth. And when we recognize our worth we will know that we deserve more and we won’t settle for less. We won’t settle for the illusion of value but demand that we live a life that represents our true value