I just figured something out, and I’m excited to share it!
I’ve been engaged in the Struggle since I was 14 years, starting off as
Liberal Integratinist, to a Militant Separatist, and evolving into a
Revolutionary Pan-Africanist.
In all of those activities, in all
of those events, within all of those formations, there’s one constant,
that one constant was the Call for Unity.
I swear, I’ve never
been in a gathering of Black people where there wasn’t a call for Unity.
I’ve been in rooms where there were dozens of Black people who didn’t
agree on shit, but one thing, and that’s the desire for Unity. I’ve
been in the room with rival Hood “Ni99as” had just been shooting at each
other the night before, and even them cats would be talking about
Unity, the need or want for Unity!
I kept wondering; “how the
fuck can 99.9999% of a people call for something, want something, and
yet that thing is denied to them?” This shit really fucked with me.
It got to the point were I hated hearing that word, I even began to
resent the very concept of Unity. But it hit me, not too long ago, I
was not listening to what the fuck all them Black folks back then and
right now were/are saying.
Notice; people be saying “we need Unity,” or they would profess that they “wanted Unity.”
Now just imagine some one saying they need money, or they want money.
That don’t really mean shit, do it? The announcement of a need or want
don’t mean shit! We usually recognize that when people profess the need
or want for something less noble like sex, money, drugs, drank,
Jordans, etc. When people announce or profess such needs or wants we
kinda give them a side eye because we conclude that they should be out
there getting that shit instead of telling us that shit.
When
people announce their “less than noble” needs and wants we say or think;
“then go git dat shit den! Why you crying to me?” But you can’t do
that shit when someone professes a noble need or want.
When
people profess a need or want for noble need or what we say or think;
“right on Sis/Bruh,” as if wanting or even needing something noble makes
them inherently worthy of that noble need or want.
It’s even
more fucked up than that though. In the hundreds of
protest/demonstrations/organizations/movements/formations/projects/cooperative
efforts that I’ve been to, no one ever said:
“I offer Unity, I give Unity, I have Unity and I will Share it with everyone!”
How the hell we conscious Brothers and Sisters been getting away with
wanting, needing, and even demanding something that we are so seldom
willing to offer, give, and share with everyone?“
I think it’s
time that we begin to treat noble needs and wants the same way we treat
less than noble needs and wants. When someone says; "we need unity,”
respond to them as if they said “I want money;” say: “git cho azz up and
go git you sum fool!”
We should also treat noble offerings like
we treat less than noble offerings, when someone offers Unity and gives
it to the best of their ability, you should treat it like someone who
offers sex and gives it to the best of their ability; you should prolong
it as long as possible, and show the sincerest appreciation for it.
We need to demystify Unity, we treat Unity like Black Christians treat
Jesus, like Crack Heads treat their first high; we treat it like this
distant thing that will one day come to us if we keep yearning and
seeking it.
The truth is, Unity is right here with us, it’s something we got, we just don’t utilize it properly.
We also need to better understand Unity.
There’s Operational Unity; the kinda unity that allows specific projects and works to be conceived and completed.
There’s Ideological Unity; the kinda unity that prevents you from
obstructing the work of others when you don’t directly participate in
that work.
There’s Opportunistic Unity; the kinda unity you can
have with your traditional enemies for the period of time that it
servers your best interest.
There’s Principled Unity; the kinda unity that will sustain you even when you conflict with those you are working with.
There’s Organizational Unity; the kinda unity that allows you to stick
with an organization and a program even when the people you in it with
be fucking up and pissing you off.
There are all kinda of unity;
so when someone yells out at your next meeting (and I promise you,
someone will); that “we need Unity!,” ask them: “what fucking kinda
Unity are you talking about?”
Also, stop allowing people to talk
about the need or lack of Unity, demand that they state the form of
Unity they are willing to offer, and build on that; and tell them to
stop tripping off of other folks lack of unity; just like they don’t
trip off of other folks like of money when they got money.
It’s so fucking simple and clear.
Now that we got this Unity shit figured out, lets move on to Institutional Building, Mass Organization, and State-Craft.
