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AU leaders

Ejike Okpa ll
My mom always asked when I would stop crying so that we could get down and speak about what matters.  Africans and African-Americans cry a lot. What will make us stop? We should stop the cry and take on what matters as crying will not do it. The perennial “what white folks are doing and did this and that” ought to become a secondary issue as we strive to overcome but aim to prevail.

African-Americans/Africans cry but refuse to adopt conditions that can effect better outcomes for their collective interests and existence.
Even when an opportunity is the sole preserve of black leadership; home and abroad, how well are African-American/Africans doing to help foster growth and development in their community/country?

Are white people telling black pastors who are building mega-churches not to use black architects and constructors to build those facilities?
How many of the mega-churches were/are designed by black crew?

Please go around US cities where church is big business and African-American pastors are project owners and tell me how many were built by black professionals.

Are white folks telling African presidents and prime ministers to “steal” from their national treasury to stash the money in foreign land or only use foreign contractors other than their nationals to do projects?

Who are we complaining to when we are the ones undermining ourselves?
It is no gainsaying the obvious – Africans are FRONTS in their own country helping foreign nationals to gain ground at the expense of well-educated and experienced black team.

If we cannot exercise preferential treatment on matters/projects we have ultimate control over, I wonder why we keep knocking on the doors of others expecting a hero’s welcome.

If charity is to start from home or is expected to start from home, how come we fall short enhancing our home advantage?
White people do not owe anyone anything because of colonisation and slavery.

This sad aspect of human existence happened. The creator God was/is aware of this injustice, therefore, it’s part of our heritage.
We must strive to overcome and prevail. Appearing or wanting to win simply on the grounds of “you owe us a duty of reparation and or hand-out” is old news. We must forge strong alliances across the board and spectra, and recognise it is competition and survival of the fittest. Since we are not mentally prepared to enhance ourselves believing awfully and woefully that “no prophet is recognised in their own village”, we must pay the price of such way of dealing.

That in the 21st century, no African-American bank in US has book value in the neighbourhood of billions, while we consume nearly US$1 trillion annually points to a situation that we do appreciate what it takes to have a viable community. Black churches deposit their money in major banks, and the pastors have not found compelling ways to impress on the deposit accepting institutions to re-invest part of the money in the community. If one does ask, one does not get. For instance in DFW area, it is rumoured and it’s probably accurate that black churches deposit in excess of US$2 billion in area banks annually. Majority of the church donors/givers/tithes come from families that earn less than US$30 000 annually. Since African-American pastors are big influence peddlers in the black community, what stops them from demanding in a more formalised sense that at least 5 percent of the deposits are re-invested in the community using provisions of CRA – Community Reinvestment Act? That is about US$100 million. It is hard to tally total investments in most black neighbourhoods up to that amount. Jesus and God, will not make special trip to solely and sorrowfully address issues and concerns of African-American/African people. What we are doing is self-inflicted and therefore, we must undo it using human factors.

We must do better and quit demanding change from others when we are not willing to change our own community. – African Executive.

Ejike Okpa II writes from Dallas, Texas.