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Will Globalization
Destroy Black America? By Phillip
Jackson, Executive Director
The Black
Star Project The lack of
response to globalization by Black America is frightening and troubling.
While much of the world has
adapted to
the new-world economy and new-world standards of existence, most of Black
America is still operating much the same way it did in the 1950s and 1960s.
But now, throughout Black communities in America, there is a whisper
campaign by Black people who don't know each other and Black people who
live in different parts of the country, saying to each other, "We are
in trouble!" We know it and the rest of the world knows it! Black
America, as we know it, is in danger of not surviving globalization. In the 21st
century, there are only two kinds of people. Not Black or White, or rich or
poor, or foreign or national. The two kinds of people in the world today
are those who are educated and those who are not. Although education has
become the new currency of exchange in the 21st century, the old American
educational paradigm stopped working decades ago for Black Americans.
Simply sending Black children to American schools without a clear purpose
or goal has contributed to the demise of the Black community. Black America
watched formerly third-world countries catapult over America to become
educational super powers while America rested on its old, stale educational
laurels and fell way behind much of the world in educational performance.
And because Black America unthinkingly depended on the American education
system to educate its children, we have fallen way behind
The
horrific educational, social, health, economic and criminal justice
indicators in much of Black America predict a meltdown of gargantuan
proportions in the near future for the Black community. But still, the
thing that is most remarkable and unbelievable is the lack of response by
Black Americans to this impending doom! Without numerous positive changes,
practical well-thought-out ideas, massive mobilization and immediate
action, the fate of many Black Americans is sealed. We will not be able to
prosper in the cities of America or possibly in any city in the world where
the new currency for existence is access to global information,
higher-order critical thinking and advanced technological skills. There
used to be a time when it was better to be poor in America than rich in
other countries. Now it might be better to be poor in some other countries
than to be poor in America. Black
people in America must immediately disengage from the diversions of mind-deadening
entertainment, useless sports, hyper-sexuality, excessive
social celebrations, pointless conversations and debates, meaningless
media and the civil rights issue de jour approach to managing
our problems. We must focus on the most important issue in our communities
-- making education the highest priority. We must create a culture of literacy and
learning that replaces intellectual apathy and resistance to educational progress.
Somehow, we must re-inspire our children to want to learn and to love to
learn. But having educated children is not enough. We must have educated
families and educate communities. Every Black man, woman and child must
become part of this new community of learners. Black America must take
education out of the schools and universities and root it in our homes, our
workplaces, our communities, our churches and even in our streets and
prisons. The purpose of education as defined by the Equipped for
the Future initiative, a federally sponsored effort to develop a framework
for accountability in adult education, is to help people actualize their
roles in society as parent/family members, citizen/community members and
workers in the economy. If the education system that serves us is not
meeting these objectives, it is a disservice to our children and our
communities
The ability of a people to
survive in changing times is not magic, nor is it by chance.
Success depends on people being able to change to survive in a new
environment! And new environments demand new skills for survival. Equipped
for the Future tells us that without certain basic skills, survival will be
extremely difficult for Black people, or any people, in the 21st century.
These essential skills are the ability to read with understanding; convey
ideas in writing; speak so that others can understand; observe critically;
listen actively; solve problems and make decisions appropriately; plan and
put Those plans into action effectively; use math to solve problems and to
communicate; cooperate with others; guide others; advocate and influence;
resolve conflict and negotiate; take responsibility for life-long learning;
learn through research; reflect and evaluate; and use information and
communication technology. These are the skills necessary to survive in the
21st century. The solution to the issue
of Black America's poor response to globalization is to
1) Deconstruct
value systems that have caused Black people to arrive at the precipice of
non-existence; 2) Construct
value systems that will rebuild the Black family as a purveyor of positive
values, cultures, mores and education, and re-establish the Black family as
the primary and most important social unit of our culture and society; 3) Embrace
education as the highest value in the Black community; 4) Effectively
manage the negative cultural influences that hugely impact the thinking and
actions of Black boys; and 5) Understand
that for the rest of existence, change is a required part of the living
process. The faster
Black America is able to put this plan into action, adopt these new
principles and manage change, the more likely we will survive. Today, many
Black people seem to be having "cosmic flashbacks" to our time in
slavery, which was the first crude effort at globalization that helped to
set the stage for today's globalization. For years, Black America was
buffered from modern globalization by political boundaries and economic
barriers. Now globalization has come to our country, our cities, our
communities, onto our blocks and into our homes, schools and workplaces.
Globalization has happened, whether Black America is ready for it or not.
We still have time to make the necessary changes that will guarantee that
Black people will survive into the 21st century and that we will thrive in
this global economy. But there is not much time. With globalization, Black America has
entered into the "Educate or Die" era. In this era, there are
only two questions worth answering: "Will we change? Can we
survive?" How we emerge from this era is up to us. Phillip
Jackson, Executive Director
The Black
Star Project
3473 South
King Drive, Box 464
Chicago,
Illinois 60616
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