Hello again UI. I have been recently troubled by the lack of personal responsibility that our people have been showing in America. I take a look at all the complaints of racism and oppression, and wonder why has this become our life. People always seem to complain about the way things are and as they should be with common practices such as protesting, rallying, speaking out… Blah, blah, blah. However I see no one taking on what I call “The Black Man’s Burden” and moving forward with life, knowing what is out there.

What I mean by the burden is this… A white man becomes CEO of a fortune 500 company, and does a mediocre job. He is not subjected to high level scrutiny or any other criticism, but told that he is simply doing his job and nothing more. However a black man falls into the same position, and he his raked over the coals as being a product of affirmative action, or seen as a symbol of quota fulfillment. He possibly can be viewed as having cried racism to even have had the opportunity and is an example of how blacks fail at running corporations. The same thing goes with athletics. Black athletes are expected to perform at a certain level of speed and strength, and are seen as mediocre if they play at an average level. One the other side of that coin, white athletes who perform at the level as the average black athlete are praised for having the average speed and skill of black athletes and are considered the best in the game, with all the endorsements and contract money they can stomach. That my friend is the burden I speak of.

It is the simple fact that we have to work harder, go faster, and outperform the next man because of who we are. With that said, I have to address the issues that we now face that come with that. We seem to have forgotten this dynamic for we teach our children about how unfair things are and we can only try to make things better. We have also failed in teaching adequate responsibility for now we live and die by our won excuses. “White people this… White people that… We don’t support our own businesses… I can’t get ahead because they don’t like lack people…” On and on with excuse after excuse about failing and not succeeding. Not only have we been plagued by the excuse monster, but we have become a people of complaint. The constant complaining by civil rights groups, and “Black voices” keep ringing loud and making the world aware of our complaint, however do nothing about it. There are only so many words that can be said, and only so many marches we can lead. It seems to me that we have this false ideal that if we keep marching and yell loud enough we can make change. Well that is truly a bunch of BS. Stereotypes exist for a reason and are not simply broken, and or fade away because we have asked them to do so. He only way we can change anything is by force. I am not speaking of the military action of Malcolm X, but I am talking about domination. Look, we will never erase racism, nor will we ever change people’s minds about us by simply asking for understanding. We have to not just do better, but become dominate in all that we do. In our family lives, work lives, and spiritual lives we have to change the standard of what is acceptable. We can no longer sit and expect mediocre performance to be acceptable. We have to not only do, but do better than. If we are truly a race of intellectuals and physically dominate people, then why are we not acting like it? Why are we not simply being the best at what we do, forcing others to take notice and bow before our greatness? The reason is that we have become a people of complaint, and whine, instead f a proud people of responsibility.

The fact is, we will never simply change someone’s mind by asking, nor will we change anything by hoping that morally people see the error of their ways. We must simply dominate all facets of career, home, and life in order to be taken seriously and be recognized in the world we live in. That is the black man’s burden. We cannot be mediocre, we cannot be simple. We are naturally a dynamic and strong people and we must do what we must by raising our standards for each other. Yes I am being critical of blacks, but the fact is, it about time we set our standard of living higher and actually become the people we profess to be.

We have to lead by example. This is one of the first lessons I learned on a pop warner football field, and still believe that to be true today. I want to take this time to quote a philosophy that my fraternity has often taught to new members… “Excuses are tools of incompetence, that build monuments to nothingness… Therefore this Sigma will keep his toolbox empty.” So enough excuses… Enough blame… Enough complaint. Simply be the warrior that you are and dominate all aspects of life.

I am about to become a published author, and it feels amazing. I strive to be the best in my field. I feel that my creativity and prose is beyond any other. I will not blame white America if I do not succeed nor will I scream racism if I fail. I chose to accept the burden for I… Am truly gifted and unique, and expect nothing less that dominance.  Mercy is for the weak… While victory remains for the strong. Will you take on the burden and kick a hole through the door making your own way? Or will you join the weak and complain to deaf ears? What will you choose intellectuals…? Let’s talk.