Title of Course: Economics 101
Black Power Economics: The Building Blocks
Mba Mbulu, Instructor
Copyright 1998 - 2002, 2020 ASET, M. Mbulu All rights to everything on this web site are reserved.
Read the essay below. Afterwards,
try to get the best understanding you can of the following questions.
(1) Can you imagine how people can be the foundation of an economic
system?
(2) Why must Black People be careful not to violate a valued principle
in order to take advantage of a "once in a lifetime"
opportunity?
(3) What happens when a negative economic principle takes on the
look and feel of legitimacy?
(4) Black individuals are primarily consumers in the white power
economic system. What are the implication of that for the development
of Black Power Economics?
Class #11: What Has To Be Managed? MONEY [Audio Version]
Economics is a science; an organized system of activities (some economic systems are more highly organized than others) as opposed to a random series of activities. This will be one of several classes that asks fundamental Economics questions, and answers those questions as simply as possible. The question for this class is, "What has to be managed?"
We Have To Manage Our Money
We must remember: The foundation of
Our economy must be Our people, not money. The foundation of any
sane economy must be human beings, not dollars or profits. Any
time there is a conflict between people and another source of
wealth that is difficult to resolve, the people must be upheld
and that other source of wealth must be relegated. It might seem
ludicrous when you look at it in immediate terms, but in the long
run it will keep negative tendencies in check and prioritize human
well being as the key to the economic health of Our people.
At times, passing on a promising source of income in order to
hold true to a principle might seem counter-productive; it is
easy to imagine how much could be accomplished if We make exceptions
here and there. But it is not easy to imagine how much harm We
might do to Our objective if We stray because negative ramifications
frequently will not make themselves identifiable immediately.
Negativity often times functions in a sinister way, and by the
time it takes a public stance, it will have entrenched itself
enough to claim some degree of legitimacy. Delegitimizing negatives
after they have been around for awhile, even though they are negative,
can be a long, painful, divisive and wasteful process; a process
We should want to avoid.
We must be careful, very careful.
Without the exception, the rule would not exist. There will be
times when We are tempted to slight even the most sacred rule.
During those times We must remember: Missing out on a "once
in a lifetime" opportunity is not going to kill the development
of Black Power Economics, but betraying a valued principle in
order to take advantage of immediate "benefits" might
hamper Us for a very long time.
The basis of Our economy must be Our people, but Our economy,
the economy of the Black Nation, can not be based on individuals
who are shuffling and jiving when it comes to the financing of
the Black Nation! We cannot make it on begrudging physical and
financial handouts from Black individuals. Financing Our economy
must be a priority, a priority of the highest order.
In order to advance a Black Power Economics system, We must recognize
that money (particularly the dollars We earn in a white power
economic system) is a tool. To get the most value out of money,
We have to use it in a consumer mode to the smallest degree possible,
and in an investment mode (within the Black Nation) to the greatest
degree possible. Those Black individuals who are serious about
contributing to the elevation of Black People can manage to do
that.