Perils of Powerlessness: Can Blacks recover from not being in power for 2,600 years?

People of African descent have been out of power since the Twenty-fifth Egyptian Dynasty. This illustrious dynasty, which ended in 656 BC, was as Dr. John Henrik Clarke fittingly characterized it, Black people’s “last walk in the sun.” During this golden age the reign of a line of distinguished Kushites Pharaohs including Shabaka, Kashta, Piye, and Taharqa, was the last time Black people were in power and had control over the territorial integrity of the continent of Africa.

This means that collectively Black people been powerless for over 2,600 years. A very long time compared to other people and ethnic groups who were knocked out of power for a length of time. As a consequence of being out of power a troubling misfortune continues to occur: it is difficult for Blacks to recognize power when it is in front of us, or (using a football analogy) when we are nearing the endzone of scoring a touchdown we fumble the ball. Egos, competing visions, and undisciplined arguments over nonessential factors doom us each time. As a result of this frustrating predicament many qualified advocates for Black liberation prefer to watch from the sidelines.

Only recently has this writer become more sympathetic to our conundrum. Now I understand our seemingly inability to gain and maintain power is not due to any innate inferiority as celebrated Arab political philosopher Ibn Khaldun wrote in his monumental Muqqadimah in 1377, but rather from being without power for so long. Unlike other races, Black people do not have recent memories of people that look like them in authority to draw guidance and inspirations from. Our inexperience is compounded by the fact that we do not have the luxury to call upon the wisdom of elder statesmen during a crisis. Thus, without successful models to rely upon Black people essentially must start from a vacuum without political blueprints left behind by predecessors. Other groups were able to seek advice from, say Henry Kissinger (even at age 100, or say General Vo Nguyen Giap (even at age 102) when an experienced opinion was needed.

My conclusion is based upon the fact that Black people had numerous occasions to break the cycle of domination. But each time we did not take advantage of the moment, or as some people like to say, carpe diem! Below are a few sad instances in modern times that could have placed us on a brighter path. Let’s shine a spotlight on two towering personalities to illustrate the point.

Marcus Garvey and W.E.B Dubois are considered two of the most consequential Black people in the 20th century for good reasons. Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The UNIA is reported to have had an astounding six million members during its heyday in the early 1920s. Among other things, Garvey started the Black Star Line shipping company that was intended to increase trade and commerce among Africa and its Diaspora as well as provide transportation for those wanting to visit or live in Africa.

During this same period Dubois was considered one of the leading Pan African theorist and organizers. He was instrumental in organizing the First (1919) through Fifth (1945) Pan African Congresses. Dubois’ ideas attracted leaders and intellectuals from around the world to discuss how to unite and promote the interests of people of African descent. Despite this enormous opportunity, Garvey and Dubois became bitter enemies and chose not to cooperate with each other for one reason or another. Can we imagine the outcome if Garvey’s grassroots skills and Dubois’ global leadership merged for the benefit of Black people?

A second example of a tragic missed opportunity occurred during the African Independence explosion that occurred after Ghana gained its independence in 1957. In 1960 alone, for example, seventeen Sub-Saharan African nations declared independence in rapid succession during the defeat of French colonizers in the French-Algerian War (1964-1962). That year is often referred to as the ‘Year of Africa.’ Yet only Ghana and Guinea decided to opt out of British and French spheres of influence. That was a chance for newly independent African nations to develop stronger ties among themselves. But instead these African nations splintered into the Casablanca and Monrovia groups. This political blunder allowed foreign powers to continue to exploit Africa through neo-colonial structures. Just imagine if Africa confederated during the African independence explosion.

The 1972 National Black Political Convention held in Gary, Indiana was yet another instance where Black unity appeared on the horizon. In that year, thousands of battlefield tested Black leaders, intellectuals, activists and elected officials gathered under the battle cry its “Nation Time!” Many of these firebrands, like Jesse Jackson and Amiri Baraka earned their stripes during the Civil Rights Movement that began in 1954. However, the event ended disastrously. Before the conclusion of the 3-day gathering arguments and name calling quickly replaced cordial discussions. In the midst of all of this, the Detroit delegation blew up the event when they stormed out of the venue. That was the last time a political convention of that magnitude was held in the United States.

The last example enumerated here happened not long ago, but its consequences affect those who are alive today.

The 1995 Million Man March is another incredible event that Blacks did not maximize. The Hon. Louis Farrakhan organized over one-million men at the National Mall in Washington D.C. Min. Farrakhan’s charisma and vision was able to get Black men to leave their homes and jobs to bond with one another in the nation’s capital. Many great leaders and African-centered scholars spoke at the gathering. The March itself was a great success, but there were no viable plans to establish institutions to keep that momentum alive. That was an opportunity for Black people to put forward an agenda for African Americans. However, afterwards many speakers at the March decided to align with the Clinton administration instead of backing Min. Louis Farrakhan. Today, what is left of that March is small, scattered and sporadic Million Man March Alumni meetings. This was an occasion for the Nation of Islam, NAACP, Urban League and other groups to collaborate beyond Tavis Smiley’s annual State of the Black Union discussions.

The events highlighted above are brought out not to criticize but to point out that being out of power for so long creates a propensity for political failure. Hence, one cannot expect an inexperienced non-businessman, for example, to be a successful CEO of Ford Motor Company. Likewise, we cannot expect a people out of power for over two-thousand years to be effective managers of power without great difficulties, especially while they are relentlessly opposed by people who feel their interests are threatened by the success of Black people.

In the final analysis, Black people have another chance to break this curse. The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) is by far the biggest phenomenon we can use to correct our past mistakes. Therefore, it is imperative for people of African descent to support the AES. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have confederated into a political, economic and security bloc. Their step towards unity is sending positive vibrations throughout the rest of Africa. Senegal, Chad, and now Ghana, are trending towards unifying Africa. The AES was established to promote the interests of people of African descent including a hub for Leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States organizing Black solidarity and a space for free expression of Pan African thinking. If we allow the AES to fail, yet again Black people will have given credence to Ibn Khaldun’s racists theory that Black people are genetically predisposed to serve the interests of others. We know this is false. But let’s prove it so.