Dr. Boyce: You Must Be Economically Independent to Overcome Racism
In this video, Dr. Boyce Watkins explains why economic and psychological independence is necessary for any African American seeking to become truly successful in a racist society. He talks about the experience of President Obama, black scholars and those in corporate America who struggle with high black unemployment as cases-in-point. The video is below:
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Wow! This is such a great article. This is what African-Americans need to teach their children. The keys to overcoming racism is the two “E’s”, education and economics.
We need to be educated to get the jobs that pay. We cannot succeed by having our girls pregnant and on the public check and our boys in jail. White’s understand this and they stay out front.
Don’t you mean MAKE/CREATE the jobs that pay? Wow, you don’t seem to get this video at all.
My lottery dream: Win big and create businesses for young Black people all over the Bay Area, where I live.
My reality dream: Create businesses for young Black people all over the Bay Area, where I live.
As a student of Marcus Garvey, I have always felt this way. The problem is however is that we must regain the strength to try again after having faced two unprecedented misfortunes in America, one was slavery which dehumanized us and the other is the little known “great black economic triumph ” which lasted from 1877 to 1920 whereby we had over 250 black townships that were self sufficient and in some cases more prosperous than the adjoining white segment. The KKK with the approval of the white power structure in Washington DC , most namely presidents Harding and Coolidge tore and burned it down out of jealousy thus forcing us back into economic slavery. this story needs to be told and the process of economic growth and rebuilding needs to begin and in some cases within these United States continued.
Your video of Independents is right on target. I have written a book which will be released at the end of July: Why Are Afro-Americans Afraid To Take Off The Blinders, talks about what you stated in your video.
We need more of this information. Thank you .
It would greatly please me, and add much to this senior citizen’s life, if I could have the opportunity to thoroughly demolish this position of Dr. Boyce Watkins. I haven’t had a debate in a long time. During my 50+ years of activity, I have spoken nationally and internationally, ( churches, universities, schools, libraries, London’s Hyde Park, and street meetings), and have never been defeated in debate, or embarrassed by an audience. I have appeared on the Wm. Buckley, Joey Bishop, d**k Cavett, Alan Douglass, shows, and had many press conferences. Enter my birth name of Paul Boutelle (1934 – 1979), and my present one of Kwame Somburu in your search engines for more info. I can be viewed on the 1968 Wm. Buckley show: http://vimeo.com/18611069, when I was a candidate for vice-president of the United States of Criminal Insanity. It was only to publicize our views, we had absolutely no faith in the electoral system that Americans are indoctrinated to believe in.
In what way would you demolish this position?
So true!!
I first learned this lesson when I got out of college. This is what Elijah Muhammad, Malicolm X, and Minister Farrakhan have been preaching for the longest. This should be our most urgent goal above anything else. We tend to operate backward, and walk right back into racism and white supremacy.
d**n,speak the truth!
I applaud Dr. Boyce for this video on economic independence. Capitalism is driven by production and consumption. You are either self-reliant as a producer or you are simply a consumer which is the dependent group. Unfortunately, we Afro-Americans seem to be the only ethnic group that does not know how the seem works. I don’t care if we gave up-teen degrees, having a job making six figures or higher, as long as you depend on the existing dominant group, YOU WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE!
Racism and all the other social isms are the manifestations of an all out effort to keep us out of the stake-hold class within this capitalism drive society.
I really hate to keep coming down on Dr. Watkins but this man is either totally ignorant or he’s the biggest hypocrite I’ve ever encountered. In this article and video he’s saying all of the right things that should be said to African-Americans but in all of his other writings and speeches he’s saying just the opposite. My biggest criticism of the good Dr. is that he is criticizes the President at every opportunity for not addressing the needs of the Black Community and the fact that he isn’t doing anything to address Black unemployment and poverty and everything else that’s wrong with the Black Community. Now all of a sudden he flipped the script and saying we should be independent, make our own money and not rely on (white) America to take care of us. How can you be preaching one day that the Government or the President isn’t doing anything or enough for you, and the next day preaching that we should be independent, create our own opportunities and make our own money? If he was the scholar and intellectual leader that he claims he is, or want’s to be then this should be his message all the time; regardless of what’s happening in Washington.
Yes Dr. B. W. ,and Brothers and Sisters now is our time July,2012 to plan for the greatest uniting of the descendants of the America slaves. Regardless of the outcome of the Presidential Election of 2012– and I pray we vote for Obama in great numbers- we must keep our eyes on the prize which is the raising of the consciousness of our economic strength. This Christmas we shall commit to spending as least or nothing during that time. This very important measurement of the degree of the mental state of being of the African Americans who forefathers sacrificed, died,cried,and ate crow so we may live as free people one day; amongst the children of the slave owners. From the bottom up where change always begin. Money changes the mind of the oppressor.
WRONG – LOVE is the ONLY THING that overcomes racism.
Not money – that’s a lie from the pits of h**l ….
you can’t pay a racist no amount of money to LOVE you.
Only a fool would think they could.
I agree Dennis… only love can transform a man’s heart…all the education and money in the world can not transform a racist’s heart… may change his behavior towards you…but underneath it all…the same heart harbors hate…and just give him some time or the right circumstances and that hate will surface… that’s what we’re seeing now with the President… lots of white racist in this country…didn’t know there were actually black men who are loving husbands, strong caring providing fathers, educated intelligent men…because all they see are athletes, and rappers on TV… but when the Obamas came on the scene…it unearthed things in their hearts that they didn’t even know was there!
love cant over come racism, if it could, it would have done so a long time ago ( well maybe on a individual level). I don’t think economic independence can over come racism either, but the symptoms of racism like high unemployment, high incarceration levels etc. Would be dramatically reduced. Racism would still exist but it would not effect us the way it does, when we don’t have no economic strength.
The conversation of independence is one that has been taking place throughout the ages so no disagreement there with Dr. Boyce or any other intellectual voices in black America. But I’m only going to play Devil’s advocate (that is always pun filled, like American conversation no matter how mundane or esoteric) just a little bit and just bring to light the fact that you’re always going to have some kind of tie with white America whether it’s the institution you studied in, the place you work for and/or with, your clothes, your medicine, the car you drive, the political system (no matter how dissatisfying it is) that you’re forced to make do with and the people who OWN THE ENTIRE CONGLOMERATE that is responsible for all the other corporations that come under them that we’ll all (the vast majority of us) will wind up working for!
The reality of possibly losing that the level of comfort and networking that comes with being a professional in America is very scary for these Harvard, Howard, Morehouse and Berkeley grads so therefore they aren’t going to take a chance with the road less traveled but far more rewarding. And sadly these are the talented tenth that W.E.B. Dubois spoke about and what Dr. Boyce is pointing out is an unacceptable option that these ‘educated’ negroes in America won’t take a chance with. They’re already been conditioned to understand that the system and remaining within its intellectual constructs (and that means every part of your thinking life in America) is the only way to succeed and stay ‘on top!’
A Rhodes scholar has to be the most oxy-moronic award ever given to a person of African descent whether it be here in the U.S. or in Europe (west or east). That man was responsible for millions of African deaths; read your history concerning Rhodesia and see for yourself!! So you think that an educational system that chooses this man as the namesake for one of their most coveted intellectual awards isn’t programming you to be a modern slave?! You’re out of your natural mind if you can’t connect those dots! The funny thing is foreigners always see the horror of our unbalanced dilemma as people of African descent in American society better than some of us here will allow ourselves to so I’m with him 100% on this conversation.
Peace,how about this then.
One last time,one last shout out
Can anybody black hear me ?
Since we have all this money and spending power as black so-called CON sumers.Why don;t black’s as a massive collective create some liberation currency with some of our great people in history on this currency ?
Instead of asking massa for permission,black’s who have all this big paper money with pictures of dead white slave owners on it.
Let’s create ” Liberation Currency ” so as a massive we can stop begging these racist’s for a job or asking them to finance us.
If we create a ” Liberation Currency ” it should also change the type of value system that a vast % of us are operating from.
Instead of waiting on massa permission we organize and get it done so we can get free from this updated 21st century plantation nightmare once and for all.
To own the “Lunch Counter” is more important than sitting at it. some of us put more importance on being accepted than respected. The business of America is business. No economic base no power. The 5-65-30 theory 5% at the top 65% in the middle and 30% at the bottom. It is hard to find 5% in BLACK communities who are willing to take a RISK. I wish Dr Boyce would spend more time and energy in this area, than some of the social commentary, as wether is our president is Black nonsense.
Right on, there is not enough money to overcome racism only the love of Gos shed abroad in our heart can make this change, but one of the biggest problem is NO LOYALITY to one another this is a problem in black communities there is liying, cheating moral erosion and no one seems to take of the blinders, this happen no only in market place but in many churches and there will not be a change until ADULTS take a stand against this disconnected hip-hop life style and the degrading it has brought to the black community, I am in prison ministry over three decades and to see the way our young men think and act is deplorable, we first miust learn to respect our self and then we can earn the respect from others. money answereth all things but if the inside be holy then then the outside will be holy, look at how many athelets has made money and only end up broke or in jail.
You all need to read Powernomics from Dr. Claud Anderson, Ph.D. It is available on amazon. It is the Marshall Plan for Black America.
wow you people really beleve that all white people are racist or that everything is racism man you kind of black people make me sick
My opinion is hat this all can be traced to integration. Exam the two Tulsa’s. I don’t need anyone or thing to validate who I am. Know Thyself!
1 Brownie Point for this one!
Dr. Boyce is too real! ” In your Black World, we’re just happy being black!” LOL.*
Ethiopians run practically every corner grocery store and gas station in the NW quadrant of Washington,DC. Asians continue to run the carry-out businesses throughout DC but have moved rapidly to run the liquor stores also. Hispanics growing business wise in auto mechanics and detailing, landscaping and trash collection, also home and office cleaning which they seem to monopolize. All of these changes in a time frame of less than ten years and here we are as black people still discussing how we a a people can become financially independent. Why Dr. Boyce? It’s deeper than a sermon, louder than a rally, kept quieter than a wake, more turmoil than a war. We help to maintain white supremacy in the necessity of raising a family, getting lost in The Cause because we seek material possessions to erase the stigma of slavery and Jim Crow and unlike the Jew that says” never forget” we seem to thrive in forgetting.
If theres no plan for change there will be no change. In regardless as to have to deal with the corporate structure that is owned by the oppressors ( cotton money and human cattle), we must use our marginalized dollars and demand some services that will help curtail the deteriation of us as a people.
Boycott Christmas 2012
Becky, I Love your mind and how it processes. Totally agree.
As always, excellent commentary, and wery practical. Thank you.