Leadership in the Black Community.....

Leadership in the Black Community: No Half Steppin!!
If you want to be a true and authentic leader in the Black community, don’t come half stepping. This is not an easy job. You will need training, patience, courage, fortitude, goodwill, an ability to effectively strategize, an ability to create good fellowship & unity and an ability to draw the best out of people you might not like or agree with on all the issues all the time. To be really successful and effective in helping your people you will also need an uncanny ability to NOT be self centered, egomaniacal or egotistical. (Ultimately it is not about you or how popular you are. It is about how many people you were able t help and what you helped that at doing.) Were you able to build some bridges and roads, were you able to build some wells, were you able to raise some money, feed some people or stop someone’s foreclosure? These are not just leadership characteristics I made up out of thin air. They are real requirements that I have assessed one needs to be truly helpful to your people through years of working with and helping Black people on the front lines... As my sister says, this ain’t no joke. Your people REALLY NEED YOU!! Then you will also need the ability to make it all work together. A good sense of humor and an ability to not take yourself or others too seriously will also help. Like I said, this is not an easy task, but guess what—we need more and better leaders all the time. It doesn’t matter where they come from. What matters is that you can effectively implement the broad changes that our community needs in a non-condescending and upbeat manner. You will often have to do this while considering that our community has diverse, ever-changing and sometimes conflicting interests. Do you qualify as a Black leader? There are any number of Black elected officials who DON’T qualify... That’s right, in my humble opinion, being an elected official DOESN’T NECESSARILY QUALIFY YOU AS A BLACK LEADER!! It is more than just getting elected, Mr. Obama!! Who qualifies?

I know I don’t, but guess what, I try to lead anyway. The reason: none of us are perfect. While I’m trying to reach for that gold star of true and authentic Black leadership, I’ll provide the support and inspiration I can through whatever channels I can right now, every day... I will, of course, step on some toes and do the wrong things from time to time, but I will learn in the process. What I’m trying to say is don’t give up and don’t give up on our leadership that you might perceive as imperfect or even mean-spirited and wrong headed at times. Keep telling them, in what ever ways you can, to do their best and to do the right things. Tell them to think positively & proactively and never give up hope for Black people… Tell them to be directed and goal oriented. Tell them not to make promises that they know full well they cannot keep…

Keep reminding our leaders that they can’t half step. This is not a half-way house. We need whole steppers. Whole spirits. Whole people. We need spiritually connected and loving people. But be sure, at some point, to tell people they are doing a good job at some things. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Highlight the positive and if you have to be critical, try to be constructive in your criticism…

Sometimes the Established Order tries to choose our leaders for us. More often than not, this doesn’t work. The best leaders for us are ones that come up from the grass roots who have cut there teeth through involvement with some local organization, movement or endeavor...They represent the true struggling nature or the community and are guided and motivated by a real and authentic love for Black people. They don’t often point the finger at wrong doers within our community, but choose instead to see the potential in all of us and give positive guidance, direction and purpose to people who have at least mustered the courage to try.

I think our leaders can be men or women. They can be straight or Same Gender Loving—just be honest and do the best you can. One important think is to listen. Listen to the poorest among us and the most powerful too… But while you do, consider the source of information you are listening to. What have they been through? What is their track record?

There are any number of organizations in the Philadelphia area that can utilize Black leadership, but like I said, this is not a job for the weak minded, the weak spirited or those seeking only personal gain. The community has a way of seeking out & exposing phonies very quickly. But don’t be discouraged. Take on a mentor and go full steam ahead. Your leadership abilities can be honed and crafted over a number of years and eventually you will be a force to be reckoned with. Always try to keep your head above water ethically and financially. Always try to be honest and have integrity as your focal point. You will go far. If you are young there are many young Black people walking around with no hope & feeling left out, distraught and angry. They need the gift of your leadership. It will give them sustenance and purpose. With a little help they can begin to have hope and inspiration. But always remember to be as authentic and real as possible with what you are doing, saying and projecting to our people... Good luck and God’s speed if you choose to take on this mission… You will need both…