Revolutionary suicide is a term that may sound extreme, but I implore you to read closely and with an open mind. The term was coined by Dr. Huey P. Newton (yes, he had his Doctorate), the infamous founder of the perhaps even more infamous Black Panther Party, and in many ways the term is exactly what it sounds like. Revolutionary Suicide does not mean to wish for death, rather it means to wish to live with human dignity, respect, and hope, to the point that one would not want to live without it. It means that in the fight for equality in an unjust and cruel world, death is more than a possibility; it is a near certainty. In an unjust system, little real change will come from playing by the rules of that system, which is the reason why people who seek change in such systems have often come up dead or missing.
I am reintroducing Dr. Newton’s term Revolutionary Suicide to encourage black people to fight the righteous fight. We did not start this fight, rather along with our higher melanin count and kinky hair we inherited it. Since the end of the Civil Rights movement, we as a people have been taking metaphorical blows to the chin, and throwing no punches in return. In this fight, no help will be given; no other group is going to come to our rescue. As cliché as it might sound, we must save ourselves. For you good house niggas who believe that everything is fine and African Americans do not have any problems, I ask that you come down from your hilltop homes and take a look at how many of our brothers and sisters are struggling everyday, many of their problems originating from how society views their skin color as well as being born into poor economic situations.
The way that I propose we do this is to make sure that whatever we do in life, we do it to the best of our ability, and we try to assist others in our community when they need it. College students should strive to attain careers that will put them in the best situation to “give back to the community.” If you are a garbage man, be the best damn garbage man that you can be, while making sure you take care of your family and be the best damn father and husband that you can be. If you are a successful lawyer who owns her own firm, make sure that you do your best to give competent legal support to Black men and women who have been set up for failure, and trapped by an unfair legal system. We have been blinded by the media’s definition of the necessities in life and we have been tricked into thinking that we need flashy clothes, a big mansion, and five or six cars in the driveway. Why strive for these things when you can’t spell or pronounce some of the Brand names that you are wearing or driving? We need to take education more seriously and have high expectations for our children. How can they achieve if we don’t believe in them? Even if you have your degrees and a nice paying job, you need to make sure that you are not spending all of your hard-earned money on yourself; you are blessed to be in an economic situation that not many of our Black brothers and sisters can enjoy. Look out for those who have not been afforded your opportunities.
As a people the Afro-American community has come a long way from Nat Turner’s rebellion, the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the election of Barack Obama, but we still have a long way to go. Do not be complacent with our progress; we need to continue the fight that our grandparents and great-grandparents began for us so long ago. Wherever possible I encourage you to speak out against the evils in our society and to join organizations that are fighting the good fight. Make our voices heard and our ancestors proud. Do not fear repercussions from your actions because if they are righteous then they are necessary and good. Let’s make this country into a place that we ALL can be proud of.
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