The buzzword amongst us intellectuals is “UNITY”. “We need to unify!” The understanding is that we cannot move forward as a people until we unite as a people. The main function of unifying being proposed is through economics, by combining our money through various means, such as Black-owned banks, non-profit organizations, or co-ops to purchase land or goods for building endeavors; however, we rarely define other forms of unifying beyond the financial aspect.

Unification is not only essential, it is the life force of our existence. The revolution that we call for, our other buzzword, has to first ignite in the hearts and minds of the individual before the need and purpose of unification are realized. How can I know that I need the next man or woman, if I don’t know the power and value that I possess inherently as an individual? In other words, I cannot know you, until I know myself. It’s this lack of knowing one another and ‘thyself’ that contributes to the distrust and separation from one another that we seem to exude.

The society we live in champions individuality and responsibility, but to a fault. The dog-eat-dog mentality that has been interjected into our otherwise communitarian natures has impaired us at the individual level, and subsequently as a group.

We were made to integrate into the patriotic fabric because to do otherwise was to be a traitor or outsider, and because a trip back to Africa wasn’t optional for the Black person living in America; thus, it was get in where you fit in even if it meant losing yourself and the connection to the people you would need to depend on for your survival.

So here we are, independent, individualized, and integrated. Now we want and know that we need UNITY. I assert that until we journey into the depths of ourselves, we will be remiss in finding our way back to commUNITY. Until one has knowledge of the part that adds to the sum of the whole, one cannot practically offer him or herself to unification. Integration and individualism mandate disjointed loyalties to labor obligations, prioritizing survival over unifying efforts, and resulting in a state of dissonance. We see that we should be moving toward uniting with our brothers and sisters, but the man pays us, we pay taxes to the man, and are forced to focus on “me, myself, and I”. This explains why a person cannot feasibly focus on making enough money to live, take care of a family and home, and commit fully to the cause of Black UNITY. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs conveys this well; a person cannot self-actualize if the day-to-day focus is on just trying to stay afloat and alive. So we aimlessly yell at the top of our lungs for each other to just UNITE or die, to no avail!

I’m posturing that the path to UNITY is now in reverse mode. We have to find ourselves first through study of what our ancestors knew the individual to be. Not necessarily through religious study is this determination made, but by daily reflection on the true essence of being a Black man or woman, and the inherent power of being human. Once we have begun the path to strengthening ourselves and uncovering our unique purpose can we know how and where to merge our being with the greater cause. An analogy is getting hired for a new position within an organization. The individual gets hired on his or her own, based on previous experience and qualifications acquired. You cannot show up for a job you aren’t qualified for, and only know if you are qualified after taking time to develop and examine your strengths and abilities. Even after hire, it takes time to find how one fits into the overall purpose of the organization, as the individual member continues to hone new skills and eventually become unified with the mission and purpose.

We may need to stop putting pressure on those who have not self-actualized yet for various and valid reasons, because we could be counteracting individual pursuit of growth and knowledge expansion, and needlessly be pushing people away from the desire to make any moves toward coming together. Those of us who have made the journey inward and are now seeking out UNIFICATION, should continue to do so, but keeping in mind that the numbers will be small simply because of the nature of the environment we live in, and the barriers it creates for us all at any given time in life.

Progression is a slow process. I am guilty of impatience as well, because I envision with so many, the greatness within, being lived out. We generally believe that our ancestors have shown us the way, and we cannot wait to bear the same fruits. However they also showed us if we look through study, that an individual, and a people CANNOT rule until they have passed trials by fire, can master themselves, and continue to perfect.

Until the majority of us have this knowledge, UNITY will remain a buzzword and a pipe-dream just out of reach. Let’s push each other to GROW and to KNOW; we will find one another at the right time, as unification will be the only inevitable outcome.