I doubt we will ever receive the reparations we deserve. So, I don’t think it is wise to for us to wait for any kind of national rescue plan. We’ve been battered, bruised, bullied, and broken by a history of slavery, discrimination, and racism. But we’re still here and it’s time for us to repair our broken parts by ourselves. I’d like to offer my humble prescriptions for repair and restoration.
As African Americans, I believe that we are living in a time of both challenge and opportunity. The forces set against the progress of anyone who is not white, male, heterosexual, and Christian (at least in name) are emboldened by politicians backed by a few wealthy donors. They have seized control of the Supreme Court, numerous state houses, some school boards, police departments, and their goal is to re-gain the presidency. And now the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Affirmative Action just as it overturned a woman’s right to an abortion. These same people who make laws and policies that negatively affect the lives of the poor, transgender youth, and people of color are the same people who now clothe themselves in color blindness and who love to quote sections of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech while constantly reminding us that they are the Party of Abraham Lincoln who freed the slaves. However, their actual actions present a threatening challenge. But I am not entirely disheartened because I recognize that the progress we’ve made thus far continues to offer a window of opportunity. With some thought, effort, and a change of mindset, we can make current policies and programs work in our favor and not against us. In this post and the next, I will lay out the seven things I believe we can do individually and collectively to ensure our forward progress toward securing the American ideal in our pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.
The first thing we must absolutely do is understand how our government functions and then become engaged as petitioners, voters, and perhaps elected officials. Not everyone wants to run for public office, but each of must understand the beliefs and values of those who do before supporting any candidacy and voting for anyone. In today’s political climate, we must give as much attention to the election of school board members as we do to presidential candidates. Just as important as voting is the exercising of our right to petition leaders to meet our needs by contacting them directly and/or participating in peaceful protests when necessary. Exercising our right to vote and to petition our government are fundamental to securing our civil liberties, protecting our lives, and improving our justice system. No one should be in doubt that these rights are currently under attack by white Christian nationalists.
The second thing we can do is get our money situation right. In a capitalistic society that depends on the exploitation of cheap labor and gullible consumers to maximize profits, it is imperative that we cease being the cheap labor and become smart consumers. Forget the notion of “keeping up with the Jones” and instead imitate the example of the financially independent. For starters, we’ll do better if we adopt the habit of saving and investing rather than spending on things that perish quickly and add little value to our lives. It is self-destructive to spend money on products that harm us. So, let’s stop doing that. It’s a good idea to adopt the mindset that it is far better to be paid interest than to pay interest. I haven’t run a balance on a credit card for over 20 years, yet each year I collect cash rewards from each of my credit cards. I do direct deposit or maintain a minimum balance to enjoy free checking accounts. When I must buy something, I support black businesses whenever possible or shop within my city boundaries, so the sales tax dollars benefit my city. If monthly bills exceed monthly income, then either reduce living expenses or find another revenue stream. I learned long ago that small actions like bringing my lunch to work and making my own coffee provided a hefty amount of monthly savings that I could invest. There is a scripture that my mother taught us early in life that says, “A wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends everything he makes” (Proverbs 21:20).
I also like what Suze Orman says about clothes and jewelry, but I heard her advice too late. I’ve learned that dressing professionally has a positive psychological impact on both the wearer, customers, and on colleagues. So, I viewed my professional wardrobe as a necessary investment and spared no expense on dressing professionally. It really is true that people who are well dressed are treated better and taken more seriously. However, according to Suze, you really only need one high quality pair of earrings. It is better money management to invest in a few classic but high-quality clothes and shoes that will last than to follow the fashion trends. Admittedly, I failed in this area. While I did stick to the classics, I accumulated far more clothes and jewelry than I needed to the point that I was shocked when I retired and donated my professional wardrobe. I’m embarrassed to admit how much money I wasted over the years.
And finally, when it comes to money, purchasing insurance for the purpose of hedging against financial ruin due to health issues, untimely death, accidents, and natural disaster is a wise financial decision. I view insurance as an investment in financial security. The number one cause of bankruptcy in this country is high medical bills. How many times do you hear of families starting a GoFundMe page to pay for medical bills or to bury a loved one? Far too often. Medical insurance is a necessity. Car insurance is required if you drive a vehicle. Additionally, every financial advisor I’ve ever consulted advised me to purchase term life insurance because it was an affordable way to ensure the continued financial stability of surviving family members. The younger you are when you purchase it, the cheaper it is. And home insurance has twice saved us thousands of dollars from flood damage from a broken pipe and once from wind damage when an entire fence came crashing down. When I was working, I had personal liability insurance since I was advising students on issues that could impact their lives and needed protection in case I was ever sued. Let’s get our financial situation in order, starting with a good paying job, savings and investments, wise spending habits, and adequate insurance.
The third thing to do involves a commitment to hard work. If we’re going to work hard, demand a fair wage for that work. But the kind of work people do matters. Drug dealers work hard, but that job is both destructive and dangerous and will likely end with incarceration or death. I believe that humans need purposeful work to maintain a healthy self-esteem as well as to provide funds for living. No legitimate job is without dignity; however, some jobs are designed to exploit the uneducated, unskilled, and undocumented. The time has come for us to encourage each other to choose career paths that are legal, safe, fulfilling, secure, and jobs that pay us well enough to live without government assistance.
And that starts with ensuring that our children and grandchildren obtain the necessary education, whether through college or trade school. Although college is a worthwhile investment, it can be achieved without accumulating massive amounts of student debt. Two years of community college for a trade or as a prerequisite to transferring to a four-year university is affordable and selecting a state university over a private one is typically more economical unless scholarships are substantial. Student loans should be avoided whenever possible. However, if a student load exists, it should be repaid without delay as interest continues to accrue during every deferral. Some people end up owing 2-5 times more than they borrowed because of this. It is far better to work a part-time job than to take out a student loan.
As previously mentioned, Affirmative Action is likely to end. It was useful in that it opened the door for those few fortunate souls among us who were prepared to enter. And those doors remain open to everyone. I’ve been saying for a long time that we need to take this new opportunity to better prepare ourselves. I even had a non-profit called “Reachable Heights” that conducted workshops for black parents on how to prepare their children for higher education. Now, more than ever, it is our responsibility to fully prepare our children to compete for admission to the trades and colleges to which we were once denied entrance based on our skin color. Since racial exclusion is no longer the case, our community must join with parents to raise the expectation of academic excellence from our schools and our children. We should cease to rely on government policies and programs for preferential admission treatment because we allowed our primary schools to fail us. We are capable of gaining entrance based on merit if we put forth the effort. The time has come for us to make the necessary investment in our K-12 schools and for us to improve our children’s attitude toward academic achievement. I know from experience that the lack of school resources doesn’t determine academic achievement, but the high expectations and commitment on the part of parents does. Parents and the community must support and push currently failing schools and our own children to move toward academic excellence.
These first three things: civil engagement, financial literacy, and hard work coupled with the pursuit of educational excellence are my first prescriptions to begin repairing ourselves. In my next post, I’ll present the remaining four things that we can do to repair ourselves without waiting for reparations that may never come.