Listen Siblings, I come in peace,
“The White Man’s ice is colder than the Black Man’s” — African Proverb (America)
A large part of African Consumption relates to the misbelief that “The White Man’s ice is colder than the Black Man’s;” but a larger part relates to the disbelief in Joining an Organization (Every European belongs to and finances several European Organizations.) The conversation of becoming a Productive people stems solely from the conversation of becoming an Organized people. Africans outside of Organization are Africans Dis-Organized and Mis-Organized, problems not solutions. Any and Every African concerned with African Production should apply to the African Blood Siblings. Below is a wealth of Knowledge concerning our Consumptive state and how to reverse it. The reversal is in our application to reverse it. In 1915 John Edward Bruce pointed out our consumption. Can we afford one-hundred more years of inaction? Subscribe, share, love.
“As a Race, we are not Producers; we are Consumers”
By Onitaset Kumat
It was 1915 when John Edward Bruce said “As a class we are not producers, we are simply consumers.” An African Blood Siblings Core Tenet, “Organized Justice defeats Organized Injustice,“ explains this phenomenon: Organized Injustices, under Advertising Agencies, Governmental Discrimination, Public Mis-Education, etc., purposely Mis-Organize Africans into Dis-Organized Production (as opposed to Organized Production) and (Dis- and Mis-)Organized Consumption as opposed to Organized Consumption. Marcus Garvey stated it as “The Greatest Weapon used against the African is Dis-Organization.” The Core Tenet explains, so long as Dis-Organized Justices, like Dis-Organized Productions, attempt to defeat Organized Injustices, like Mis-Organized Consumption, the Dis-Organized Justices will be insufficient; or only Organized Production can defeat Mis-Organized Consumption. In Natural terms, one Elephant can not defeat 30 Lions; but 30 Elephants can. Hence we need to Organize the Production of our Race. But those of True hearts must abandon the rhetoric.
Carter G. Woodson, in The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933), wrote:
Oratory and resolutions do not avail much. If they did, the Negro race would be in a paradise on earth. It may be well to repeat here the saying that old men talk of what they have done, young men of what they are doing, and fools of what they expect to do. The Negro race has a rather large share of the last mentioned class.
Today as for the Last Century, we are Consumers, not Producers. Yes. But, What are you doing? What have you done? What can you do? Organize Production!
For we should not forget that in 1790, our Production in Africa was incomparably excellent. Here’s a European observer’s testimony:
“I have been surprised to see with what industry they manufacture their cottons, their indigo, and other dying articles, as well as several sorts of manufacture in wood; they make soap; they tan leather, and work it exceedingly well, and even with good taste … they work bar iron … into several articles, as for instance, lances, instruments for tillage, poniards, &c.; they work in gold very ingeniously, and so well, that I never have seen better made articles of that kind in Europe; a great number of articles for ornaments of gold, silver, brass, leather, &c.”
W. E. B. Du Bois’ Chapter II of “The Souls of Black Folk” (1903) sets the field for why our people are not enthusiastic about saving our money. In a nutshell, recently Emancipated Africans were thrift and saved large amounts of money in Freedman Bank which had finances managed by Jay Cooke & Co (Europeans.) Europe and America–European people–were particularly speculative with the monies and theirs and this led to their “Panic of 1873.” This caused the Emancipated Africans who lost fortunes to quit being thrift; especially as the Organized Government never reimbursed our disillusioned ancestors (inciting their disenchantment.) Thereafter we were Mis-Organized into thriftlessness or Consumption. Here’s Du Bois’ words:
Finally, in consequence of grave intimations of wrong-doing made by the Secretary and his subordinates, General Howard was court-martialed in 1874. In both of these trials the Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau was officially exonerated from any wilful misdoing, and his work commended. Nevertheless, many unpleasant things were brought to light,—the methods of transacting the business of the Bureau were faulty; several cases of defalcation were proved, and other frauds strongly suspected; there were some business transactions which savored of dangerous speculation, if not dishonesty; and around it all lay the smirch of the Freedmen’s Bank.
Morally and practically, the Freedmen’s Bank was part of the Freedmen’s Bureau, although it had no legal connection with it. With the prestige of the government back of it, and a directing board of unusual respectability and national reputation, this banking institution had made a remarkable start in the development of that thrift among black folk which slavery had kept them from knowing. Then in one sad day came the crash,—all the hard-earned dollars of the freedmen disappeared; but that was the least of the loss,—all the faith in saving went too, and much of the faith in men; and that was a loss that a Nation which to-day sneers at Negro shiftlessness has never yet made good. Not even ten additional years of slavery could have done so much to throttle the thrift of the freedmen as the mismanagement and bankruptcy of the series of savings banks chartered by the Nation for their especial aid. Where all the blame should rest, it is hard to say; whether the Bureau and the Bank died chiefly by reason of the blows of its selfish friends or the dark machinations of its foes, perhaps even time will never reveal, for here lies unwritten history.
As uncertain as the particulars of The Freedman Bank’s failures are, it’s failure was inevitable: European Finances are intrinsically failure prone. This is why an African Economic System should not depend on or imitate the European’s Economic System. In acknowledging this, we owe Dr. Amos Wilson for Blueprint for Black Power (1998) and his treatment on African Economic Empowerment. Copies are on sale for $26. Buy as many as you can afford. Wait for another paycheck, then repeat. Page 50 instructs on a way to Organize Production,
Based on its present configuration, the full development of an Afrikan American economic system requires that it undergoes a number of phases. The first phase will involve the founding and establishing of a broad base of retail and service outlets by individuals, partners, corporate groups, institutions, professionals and lay organizations. With the support of Afrikan American consumers these retail establishments, if numerous and prosperous across all regions and urban-suburban centers of the nation, can together initiate and sustain phase two–the institution of wholesale and distribution centers to service the already established retail and services markets. The operative presence of large retail and services as well as wholesale and distribution markets, together provide the bases for the founding and expansion of a manufacturing and raw-materials sector as the third phase of economic development. The fourth phase involves the founding and expansion of the financial services sectors which will supply the financial needs of the consumer, retail and services, wholesale, distribution and manufacturing sectors of the community. Moreover, the financial services sectors will facillitate the purchasing of equity in mainstream corporations and businesses, real estate and other investment properties in the larger national economy. The fifth phase involves the entering into export-import trade relations across the Afrikan diaspora as part of a global Pan-Afrikan Economic System and with other nations selling both goods and services. This phase also involves enriching the Black nation by the increased selling of goods and services by Black workers, professionals and businesses in non-Black communities while returning and spending their earnings to aid in the community. This is equivalent to maintaining a favorable “trade balance” by the earning and building up of “foreign reserves” through exporting more goods and services outside the community than are imported.
The phases of economic development just outlined need not be linear or sequential but rather somewhat cross-sectional and roughly simultaneous. However, the economic development of the community should occur under the guidance of nationally coordinated plans directed by a national governing council and executed by a national, regional and local organizations.”
Another similar means of Organizing Production has been explained by Onitaset Kumat in “Why Pro-Black Businesses Can Not Precede Pro-Black Communities.”
This excerpt informs,
Thus only the African Blood Siblings can intelligently organize African people economically, through an international web of African Blood Siblings Community Centers (ABSCC.)
For an ABSCC would make supplying, distributing and logistics easy. For instance, the farmers who sell the cow only need to sell that cow by their local ABSCC. From there, it’s sent to another ABSCC where the leather cutters pick it up and return the cut leather. From that ABSCC, the leather is sent to another ABSCC where the shoemakers pick up the leather and return with a shoe. From that ABSCC, it’s sent to another where the sales team sells the shoe and reports the demand to the ABSCC, where that ABSCC contributes to the international record and our economy continues its smooth continuity.
What’s more, Africans can travel to their local ABSCC and receive necessary “dis-mis-education,” improving their consciousness for Independence and get themselves employed by an international system designed to keep them surviving and thriving in a racially independent manner. Prosperous, Independent African Communities will be the result; and the Centers will improve our creative potential, because we’ll have a communal area to showcase our inventions and ingenuity, increasing our entrepenurial potential, our unity as a race and thus our demand for Pro-Black enterprises, providing then a perfect stage for a Pro-Black Businesses.
These suggestions for African Empowerment can remind readers of Marcus Garvey’s numerous Liberty Halls. It’s evident that Racial Empowerment can come through an ownership of Public Halls: the African Blood Siblings only names its “African Blood Siblings Community Centers.”
This wisdom is over a century old. In 1917, John Edward Bruce said
“In a city like New York, where Negroes handle vast sums of money, one of the saddest commentaries on their public spirit and racial patriotism is the fact that they do not own a public hall.
. . .
“Are we going to keep on making white men richer and ourselves poorer by paying them three prices for very ordinary halls for our missions and Lodge rooms? If there are three hundred Negro men and women in Harlem who want an up-to-date mission and who will pledge themselves to give, and keep the pledge, $2 per month (per year), they can buy one or two apartment houses somewhere in the vicinity up town within a year, have them remodeled, and begin to own a home, and if you add such a hall for social entertainments, it would widen and expand the scope of its influence and usefulness. $3,600 a year for a period of ten years is $36,000. This sum would provide a very attractive and comfortable home in this city for Negro fraternal organizations as tenants and it would convince the promoters of such a movement after a few years that they have made no mistake in taking the initiative.”
In the African Blood Siblings Pamphlet “Maroon and Build For Self” a similar proposal, instructing on how to organize such a project is found (Copies are available for $10; and, like donating, aid in balancing the African Blood Siblings’ costs.) We learn from John Edward Bruce that 1917 New York and 2013 New York ring similarly in their lack of African Public Halls. And the race remains Consumers.
As according our Core Tenet, Organized Production is the key to a reversal and it starts with Organized Units geared toward providing Products and Services to our Race, all while assuring us that “The Black Man’s Ice is Colder than the White Man’s.” Whatever your abilities, lend your being to the African Blood Siblings: Distribute Flyers, Make Donations, Apply Yourself. After Organizing Production, it will be said of our race, “As a Race we are not Consumers; we are Producers.”
And that is how it should be. Though woe to you who are inactive in the struggle for our race. Albeit begrudgingly, every European and European Business pays ~30% of their earnings (taxes) to a European Political Organization (“The Government”) which itself finances European Economical and Cultural Organizations, and largely for this reason are Africans unable to achieve Economical and Cultural Independence. If we so financed African Political Organization that directed us to Economical and Cultural Independence how soon would we be Liberated! You are active in the Financing of your Enslavement (taxes.) It is upon you, more than it is upon others, to make the African Blood Siblings your Liberation and Finance your Liberation. Do not disappoint yourself. Organize, Organize, Organize! Intelligently Organize!
