>White people aren't making us shoot
>each other over overpriced material
>objects.

They of course provide the guns, the material objects, and no reasonable way to get them for those people who shoot themselves over it.

>White people aren't making us idolize
>thugs (not that Whites don't
>too, but they have enough
>resources to rise above that
>s*&t).

Whites didn't fund and profit from Blaxploitation movies, the Hood Movies, gangsta rap, as well as folks like Ice Berg slim. Right? It was black folks who did these things, and we are the main ones responsible for perpetuating these images on TV (of which we own no stations, networks, or studios), music, and print?

>White people aren't making us not
>teach our children to read
>and learn math before we
>even get to school.

Although most whites wait till their kids are in K, pre K, and 1st grade to do so. Theones who have power in this area have great public schools, or even better private schools.

>White people aren't making us decide
>to have babies when we
>can't take care of our
>own damn selves.

Again, it's not whether we can make the choice but do we have a social network to resolve those issues. For the white middle class teenage girl in the same situation, she has a myriad of choices some of which can be covered by insurance. Even middle class blacks don't have those kind of cultural/social/financial capital to do the same.

>White people aren't tackling Black people
>and shoving crack pipes in
>their mouths or sticking us
>with heroin needles.

True. But white advertisers and culture men have us convinced that we always need to feel good, and feel good about ourselves.

>I'm not saying that Whites are
>innocent, because I could type
>a list of plenty of
>things that actually are their
>fault, but we
>aren't lemmings wandering around without self
>control either.

I feel you. I think 2 out of 3 African Americans are considered middle or upper class. We as a people make up the 9th largest economy in the world. We can do things, if we could only do them together.
White Americans don't have that kind of burden. Even when they don't work together, they work together to maintain the environment where there values and mores rule.

We as individual african americans must be responsible for ourselves, no matter who is causing calamity in our community.

Some basic stuff to do
- get an education that makes money - we have enough full time poets, what we need is Af. Am employers who can decide whether or not you will fit into the corporate culture.

- own a business

- dont' keep up with joneses - while Mr. Jones just bought a new mercedes, realize how much money he is losing in terms of investment power. Delayed gratification is the rule.

- own dont' rent - in the long run owning a house is cheaper than paying rent

- invest early - get an IRA and contribute the max every year. Do the same for your children, or future children

- don't lay with anyone that you don't want children from - easier said than done, but always bring some protection and spermicide. (brothas and sistas)

- support black business - most businesses fail within their 1st year. But As Af Ams we have something called ethnic loyalty that we can employ. Hong Kong supermarket in Houston is owned by some Chinese folks who understood that Asian folks wanted the freshest produce possible, in addition to other ethnic delicacies. We must develop that kind of loyalty, or understanding of our own market.

There are a whole bunch of these things that all of us can employ on a daily basis, and a few of us with means/education can do also.

peace
k. orr

http://breddanansi.tumblr.com/