African American Men to Leave America

I'm serious, I think we need to collectively pull a "Dubois" and get the fuck out of America. granted the United States has created an environment that has been beneficial to a select group of African American men....but in general I think that African-American males would benefit from a few years abroad.

I'm not saying that we need to leave for good, we just need to leave for a while. The purpose of this is to establish a sense of self that is sorely lacking in our community. Regardless of what people say there is a stigma associated with being a black male. In the public's eye you are either in a suit or in an orange jumpsuit. Certainly the average middle class black man exists, but this segment of the community is often ignored. The psyche of the Black man is so burdened by a system that is racist or presents an illusion of racism, that I can't really see the majority of Black males advancing beyond a certain point in society.

The advancement I speak of isn't simply material. In fact I often believe that people make the mistake of measuring success in material wealth. David Horowitz and his ilk often claim that the existence of the black middle class negates institutionalized racism. Well to quote a rather cliched aphorism "Money Can't buy happiness". For too long African Americans have tried to fill the emptiness in our lives with "things". The true measure of success should be how well adjusted you are, how comfortable and secure you are with your own existence, how you value yourself and how you evaluate your self. I'm sad to say that I don't know that many well adjusted black males, and I'm sure that if I analyzed myself enough I would come to the conclusion that I'm not all that well adjusted either.

Where should we go? Africa...not on a Dave Chappelle style soul searching vacation, but as a way to come to terms with our own existence. The reason I suggest we move to African nations is this, in America we are BLACK. That is the first description that pops into people's minds regardless of their race. They see us and they see black, black men to be specific. And the idea of Black men in America registers one of a few stereotypes. The problem is that we register these same stereotypes. In Africa you aren't Black...because everyone is Black. I'm only Black because there is something else to compare me to, ie white, Hispanic, Asian, etc. Moving to an area where race can't be a factor, can't be a crutch, and can't be an excuse is vital to the betterment of African-American males.

Now, I know most of you are thinking, well if we were to move to African nations we would be automatically labeled as "American". And of course you are right, nationality would distinctly seperate us from the population. The difference is that I'm calling for a mass exodus orchestrated by both African-Americans and the governments of African nations. At the very least it would foster brotherhood between the African American expatriate so that they develop a sense of unity and community by being together in a strange environment, and at best the nationality barriers slowly erode and we find a sense of kinship with our African brothers.The idea would be that an African nation makes an agreement with a group of emigratings African Americans. The government agrees to allow them in to the nation as legal residents, helps them find jobs, and embarks on a program to help acclimate the expatriots to the new nation. In return the African American emigrants agree to work, abide by the nations' laws, etc. The nation gets the added revenue of new residents, and African American men get a chance to start off in a society where the stigma of the American Black man doesn't exist.

Now let me end by saying a few things. 1) I'm aware of the fact that there are many successful black men in America, but the prison and education statistics are bleak at best. 2) I'm advocating such a program specifically for African American men mainly because African American Women are doing better than African American me. 3) I understand that logistically this is pretty much an impossibility, I mean if Marcus Garvery couldn't do it, I'm fairly sure I can't either.