Joe Benton Lmsw

Should Black Organizations and Institutions Be Afrikancentered? Joe Benton Lmsw

The enslavement, colonization, and oppression of Afrikan people by Arabs, Europeans, and Euro-Americans over the past 2000 years have directly resulted in significant contemporary problems in people of Afrikan origin. This is the case no matter where in the world they are found, but especially in the USA among the AUSA. These include:1. Historical Misorientation, i.e., starting our history from slavery, our lowest point, and not antiquity. We have developed collective amnesia and false memories have been substituted for our true history.2. Cultural Loss and Disunity. We have lost the desire to know our history and culture and frequently are ashamed of our culture. We frequently don't recognize when our culture is repackaged and claimed by other people.3. Psychological Damage. We hate the way we look, and this self-hatred is frequently manifested against those who look like us. Our standard of beauty is anti?us.4. Economic Depression and Poverty. We are consumers rather than producers and creators.5. Health Inequities. We lead the statistics in the markers of poor health, regardless of socioeconomic classification.6. Spiritual Confusion. We have, without question, accepted, adopted and defend the religions of those who were/are responsible for our Maafa, even when it is well documented that our Ancestors were forced into those religions for reasons of control.7. Educational Deficits or Academic Under?achievement. Our "drop?out" rate is excessive.8. Political Ignorance. We must hold our politicians to a higher standard than we currently do.9. Legislative Impotence. Despite historically being the moral conscience of America, we wink at the self-aggrandizing nature of many of our politicians who "pimp" the system.10. Legal Problems, e.g., Criminality. We don't understand the cultural and financial histories of the criminalization of our race. There are many organizations in the United States and, indeed, the world that have a "black orientation" or "theme". On the whole, these organizations are usually ineffectual and lack the needed power to affect day-to-day change and progress in the black community. These organizations are so busy trying to have a place "at the table" that they are willing to compromise what is in thebest interest of the Black Community in order to maintain that place. They suffer from the "Illusion of Inclusion". Unfortunately, but as expected, their being "at the table" has not yielded the results necessary to advance the masses of Black people beyond the bottom rung of existence in America. This book serves to ask and answer the question in our quest for self-determination.