Defensibly, any person can detect two noticeable strands in the research and study of black political activism: the first aspect mainly describes behavioral aspects, that is, individual and mass characteristics of voting or nonvoting and elections; the other aspect includes, more importantly, physiological and cultural practices regarding Black politics. To expound more on black empowerment, the two factors must be investigated from their beginnings in the late 1960s.
From Political Exclusion to Organized Participation
Most African Americans were not allowed to participate in American politics since its independence in the mid-twentieth century. Later on, the victory over democracy and civil rights movements enabled African Americans to participate in politics, and it became popular and very likely. They struggled to force the main political parties to acknowledge their interests as the black community, which also led to attempts to form a coalition with white Americans who seemed to advance black interests in Congress. African Americans also formed their sovereign organizations like the antebellum Negro Convention movement, which was mainly for spearheading the struggle for black political rights, the end of slavery being one of the key issues.
Party Politics and the Struggle for Equal Rights
Slavery caused wrangles and conflicts between the party that supported African American rights and the other party, which led to the creation of the Republican Party, which supported African American rights (Ronald 1988). At this point, the African American laborious effort to influence the party system was a success as they got access to monetary resources, media, and strategic contacts that could be used to influence the government via various channels despite past challenges of negative or no feedback in cases of negotiation. With this as an advantage, they considered political parties to be the most legitimate institutions in the country.
In 1864, the National Equal Rights League explained the importance of politics for African Americans: “In a republican country where general suffrage is the rule, personal liberty, the right to testify in courts of law, the right to hold, buy, and sell property, and all other rights become mere privilege held at the option of others where we are expected from general liberty” (Walton 1972, 44). This boosted their confidence in the system and enhanced their continued conquest for elevated justice for their rights and interests.
Economic Inequality as a Source of Political Power
Employment and unemployment are co-existing interest groups among the black community. The percentage of those who are not able to find work is termed unemployed personnel, and in the current economy, the percentage of unemployed blacks is higher than that of whites. In economies such as the United States, where unequal socioeconomic conditions force people to belong to different class categories, wealth and incomes are dependable indicators of socioeconomic thriving. This means that the wealth a person owns tells something about one’s potential role in the political and economic system. The personal asset income mirrors ownership of wealth in the form of liquid assets, such as personal or real assets. Those with highly important assets would relatively have more corresponding wealth, which will, in turn, give them greater political power in society.
Membership and Leadership in Political Interest Groups
In general, the relative success of interest groups in the political journey is dependent on a variety of factors. Usually, the most important factor is the nature of the membership of that specific group, including the main reason the group was founded, what drives members to belong to and maintain that specific group, and the level of commitment and attitude toward achieving the group’s goals. Lastly, the nature of leadership in that group is a major factor to consider.
The Shift from Social Acceptance to Economic Empowerment
Blacks have been so focused on social admission that we have ignored economic empowerment. This is mainly because we don’t understand the true nature of discrimination. The word racism carries the significance of being a struggle. The war between the races has always been about competition among specific groups for power, control, and wealth.
Blacks have been systematically excluded in this country from taking part in the struggle and competing for positions, and concentrating on social acceptance rather than engaging the need for economic empowerment has done nothing to assist or rather help us.
The larger percentage of wealth in this country has been frozen into the white power arrangement because it is passed down through the generations as a family heritage, and blacks have to accumulate their resources in order to invest in themselves for the aspiration of structuring more wealth.
Vertical Economics and Black-Owned Enterprise
In order to overcome this hardship, we must begin practicing the black group’s economics vertically. This implies that we must invest in some business ownership at all and at the best levels. We should then start in industries in which we command the spending, meaning we have full control of the industry’s cash flow. Vertical ownership is important in the sense that black retailers could be priced out of business if the trader and the manufacturing plants are typically owned by outsiders. Therefore, there is a need for blacks to take into consideration the mindset of supporting black-owned businesses first and learn how to disseminate the black dollar within the black community, allowing it to bounce a minimum of 13-15 times before it leaves our economic system. That way, we shall have made great progress in the mindset of our black community culture.
Reference
Lucious, B. (1987). African Americans and Americans Political System.
Ronald, W. Black presidential politics in America (Albany, NY: SUNY PRESS, 1988).
Michael, P. Unafraid of speaking out, Moving to a national stage, Washington post,2003
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