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Title of Course: Philosophy 101: "Black Race Matters" Instructor: Mba Mbulu
Textbook: Essays by Mba Mbulu are provided online.
Read the following Essay. Think about the questions below
and explore them more fully.
(1) In the face of the progress Black People have made in the
United States, why does the author say racial integration in the
United States will not work?
(2) The author makes the following statement: "To integrate
requires several givens that are absent in the United States of
America." What are these "givens"? Do you agree
with the author's assessment?
(3) Do you agree that Black People do Ourselves more harm than
good when We try to integrate with white people under demeaning
conditions?
(4) Does the author honestly believe Black People can get along
well without white people?
Class #8 "Why Racial Integration In the United States Will Not Work"
One key to achieving Black Nationhood is being able to recognize
the minor differences between similar ideologies and entities.
Being able to recognize minor differences can spell the difference
between success and failure. Being mentally and logically astute
can keep Us, Black People, from being fooled by "the little
things."
Let Us look at the issue of integration for a moment. Black People
in the United States have done all they possibly can to make integration
work. That is because it is a sensible solution to the problem
of race relations in this country. But We, Black People, can not
make integration work all by Ourselves. It takes more than one
willing party to integrate, and white people are not willing to
integrate with Black People. White people are not sensible in
that way. So, the question becomes, "Should Black People
continue to try to force integration down white people's throat?"
I think not--- because you can't force integration onto people,
people have to willingly accept it. I think so for another reason
as well; that reason being that We are demeaning Ourselves by
trying to force Ourselves onto another group of people. Forcing
Ourselves onto white people is based on a conscious or subconscious
assumption that they are better than Us in one way or another,
that they have something special that We don't have, and that
We need them in order to get along in a good way. In my opinion,
neither of those assumptions is legitimate.
As a matter of fact, Black People can get along pretty well without
white people. What We can't do, though, is force them to integrate
with Us. What We can't do, therefore, is integrate with them.
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To integrate requires several givens that are absent in the United
States of America. The absence of these givens makes integration
impossible. To wit:
(1) There is no equality between Black People and white people
in this country. If there is no equality, then integration is
impossible because integration is the intermixing of two or more
equal parts. What is possible under these conditions, as all of
Us know, is assimilation. Under assimilation, some Black individuals
are allowed to flourish in the system, but no attempt is made
to accommodate Our essence nor incorporate the masses of Black
People. Have We, Black People, been struggling so that a few dark
white individuals can make a decent living in the white world?
I think not! It would be degrading for Us to stoop that low.
(2) Whites are opposed to integrating with Black People. If one
party is opposed to the idea, then integration can not take place.
To be absolutely honest, white people don't want to even assimilate
the "dark-skinned whites", but they think that by doing
so, they can subtly force the "dark-skinned whites"
to help them stifle the efforts of the Black masses.
(3) Many so called African Americans don't believe they are equal
to whites. Consciously they assert yes, but subconsciously doubts
persist. Not surprisingly, the doubts are strongest among those
African Americans who are most interested in entering the white
world. However, the Blacks who have no doubts about the abilities
of Black People realize that the doubts would disappear if Black
People were to cut off ties with white people. Then We would have
to do for Ourselves, and We would get along better than We have
up to this point. Historically, We have always been able to independently
look out for Ourselves. There is no valid reason to think We can't
do so now.
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(4) African Americans have nothing of value that will attract
a people who understand the power game. Black People in the United
States don't own anything, don't control anything, haven't established
any independent institutions and haven't made any serious independent
international contacts or commitments. The "wealth"
of African Americans is rented from the white world; the white
world can take from them at any time. The access of African Americans
to the system is a concession made by the white power structure;
it can be denied at any time That is why rich Blacks are afraid
to discuss issues such as Black Power. If the system doesn't like
what they say, the system can put them back in their place---
back in the middle of hard times with the rest of Us.
We, Black People, do Ourselves more harm than good when We try
to integrate with white people under such demeaning conditions.
Once you think about it, it becomes so obvious that one would
have to be stupid to miss it. That would not speak nicely of individuals
who brag about the colleges and universities they have attended
and graduated from.