Our children- we feed them, we clothe them, we provide shelter for them, and make sure that they are healthy and get to school each day. So shouldn’t our collective progress and current struggles for liberated economics, justice, and unity heavily involve them? Just as many times in the past have demanded our immediate attention and dedication, we have not come upon another definitive epoch in African/ Black issues and affairs.

Just in the past year we had a rally for the freeing of the Jena 6, battles both inside and outside of our own community about the use of the so called ‘n’ word and how it affects us as a whole. These are just a couple of many examples that undoubtedly prove how insignificant we -the descendants of African slaves- still are as a group in the eyes of the descendants of Europeans in this country.

The constant outcries of African/Black people in this country have obviously been futile. We have spent so much time looking for outside help that we seemingly forgot that all of the helping hands that are required for true freedom, equality, and justice and within our very own communities.

While most of our greatest minds; be they pan African, intellectuals, or spiritual counselors, the literature/tools are written and published mainly for adults and in adult language- our children have very few easily accessible resources/ tools that aid them in culminating their social consciousness.

History has clearly shown us that our most influential and progressive victories have involved our young people, full of fervor, and the strong. Our young people have been marginalized or in most cases, we have just simply given up on them. They are called generation this or that. They are heavily criticized for their indiscretions and lack of respect. But while the finger is constantly being pointed in their direction, we hardly ever look at the source of the pain and lack of knowledge on their part.

I read a quote once from the Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation that said, “first you must heal the root before you can care for the tree”. This is a very profound statement because it says a lot about the disconnect between our older and younger generations when it comes to making progress in this country and in the world. It should become a priority for adults to vigorously teach and remind our youth about the transatlantic African/Black history while also reminding them that our history did not begin at that point and has been recorded for thousands of years.

They should also be taught and reminded about how much has taken place since the inception of this country that we call America and how these issues are important to learn from in order for us all to heal and move forward.

So, while the adults of the African/Black collective body perseveres for a level playing field in the world many times we leave our children on the side lines filling their heads with fantasy and entertainment and then criticizing them while they ignore the many challenges that are faced by our people. Although there is nothing wrong with fantasy and imagination; we should be doing all that we can to culminate our youth’s potential to be the true leaders of our world in the future.

The African/Black global family has suffered some tremendous blows but the struggle continues. Throughout the African diaspora we all have our personal ambitions and goals, but there is a common denominator that we share. That denominator is that we all want, need, and truly work towards a better future for our children and for their mental liberation.

If you acquire informative, inspirational, progressive& socially conscious awareness by meetings, conferences, organizations, or even the very literature that you read-your children should be doing the same.

By Zekita. Zekita is a publisher and author of two highly sought after books for African/Black youth titled Don’t Call Me N!gga (NEW REVISED EDITION) and Reggie Wakes Up. These two books published by Zeniam Publications discourage the use of the so called ‘n’ word and encourage entrepreneurship in African/Black communities respectively. For any further details or to purchase personalized signed copies of these books contact: zeniampublications@yahoo.com . www.publishedbythepeople.blogspot.com or www.zeniampublications.com