Where Do We Go From Here?

February is Black History Month. The purpose of this observance is for the following:

1. Educate people on the contributions of Black Americans to the world.

2. Provide understanding on the financial, educational, and political, challenges faced by Black Americans.

3. Lay the proper foundation for better race relations between Blacks and other cultures.

One of the best books I have read on Black History was written by Dr. Martin Luther King, entitled, "Where Do We Go From Here, Chaos or Community?" Dr. King wrote this book in 1967 while on sabbatical in Jamaica shortly before he was assassinated. It is a powerful and prophetic book regarding the future of race relations in America if we do not learn from our past experiences. His words have and are coming to pass today. There are three major points in this book:

1. Reconnecting people to the struggle of Black Americans.

2. Improving the platform of equity for all people in employment, education, housing, and financial freedom.

3. Access to information, technology, and resources to eliminate poverty.

Leaders in corporate America have a great opportunity to move the vision of Dr. King forward. There are countless numbers of Black Americans who have left and currently are building great contributions to the world. However, our inability to communicate truth has prevented us from removing the barriers that separate us. We have lived among each other with a level of ignorance that continues to destroy great and profitable relationships in exchange for perceived power, authority, and dominance.

Where we go from here is dependent upon our willingness to come together and have courageous conversations about our values, beliefs, upbringing, and the deceptions interwoven into them all. We are not right. We are not wrong. We are misinformed, miseducated, and misguided. The pillars of society (education, religion, politics, home, and government) have failed in their primary purpose - to ensure that all men are created equal. In 2024 we continue to struggle and fight for basic human and civil rights. No law of order can mandate or enforce such rights without love, honor, and respect for one another.

It is time for us to realize what we have done to our country and be accountable for the indecorous behavior that defines us as a nation. It is time for us to consider what we will leave to generations following our example. It is time for us to understand there would be no need for Black History month if we were transparent about the true history of our world. Our textbooks and history books should be filled with this transparency.

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, and modified in 1954 by President Dwight Eisenhower. It reads, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Where we go from here depends on our ability to live and serve the message of this very simple creed. Our children are counting on us to deliver and exemplify this message.