To Whom Much is Given…
At Fayetteville State University, Reid champions the need for cultural awakening
One of the most powerful forces ever created by man, the real weapon of mass destruction that exists today, can be summed up in two small words: the media.
I am not sure most folks truly understand the power and influence that the media has over our lives and our culture. How many realize that…politics, religion, news, sports, education and business have all been transformed into an appendage of show business. This has been done without protest or even much popular notice.
I don’t fear much, but one thing I do fear is the loss of culture. For instance, Americans of African descent are losing the realities of their culture because they do not control their images in the media. Add that to the blatant refusal to control the financing and distribution of their stories, and you have the perfect formula for cultural extinction.
There has never been, at any time in American history, as much financial wealth in the hands of Black community. Yet, unlike our less affluent grandparents, we haven’t built a college to educate our youth and can barely keep the ones open that historically made it possible for so many of us to get an education. Most of the infrastructural institutions founded by the former generations, like hospitals, banks, newspapers, magazines, etc., are gone or hanging on by a thread.
Blacks who graduated from the system of HBCU’s are embarrassingly deficient when it comes to giving back to their alma maters. Business professionals, successful entertainers and athletes should be ashamed. The cost of one Escalade could support one young person, who like themselves, seek the opportunity to be nurtured at one of the struggling HBCU’s.
The portrayal of the Black community in the media is at an all time low, including in those outlets run by Blacks themselves. It’s as if we take delight in showing the worst of ourselves. Our music and movies, attack the integrity of young Black women more than the Klan ever did. Where are the stories of the incredible journey of our survival against all odds and barriers? There should be a consistent stream of culturally significant stories. We need to pass these stories on to our children. This should be our mission, and this should be our quest.
It’s time to put our wealth to its proper purpose; to ensure that the journey of the African Diaspora was not in vain. We must tell of tears shed by the untold millions of mothers who one day discovered that their child would not return home to the village, chronicle the agony shared by millions of transplanted souls who suffered and survived so that we could stand tall today and enjoy all that this wonderful country can offer.
To whom much is given, much is expected. Our ancestors deserve better that what we are currently revealing of ourselves.