Finding Our Egypt

Work. Work. And more work.  My apologies.

It felt kind of trivial to discuss relationships without acknowledging a full out revolution taking place in Egypt.  There are many full comprehensive guides online to understanding the situation, so I won’t insult your ability to google and read it at your leisure.  However, I can’t help but be excited to witness, albeit it virtually, my first revolution…at least that I can remember.  To see the extreme measures to have a true democracy, jobs, distribution of wealth, and reform that the Egyptians have taken, I can’t help but wonder where was our, the American people’s revolution, let’s say 4 years ago??  I wonder what actions would be taken against peaceful protesters in a 21^st century America.

However, on a deeper and more personal level, I wonder where is Black America’s revolution?????  Do we have nothing to fight anymore??  Has the Dream been realized??  You don’t have to look at the dismal statistics on education, poverty, incarcerations, income and lack of wealth distribution to see what I see every day in our communities.  And while great strides have been made, I wonder at what cost.  We have lost our communities, our family structure, our school systems, our businesses, our children, and our collective causes.  The scenario worsens when those that are privileged to find or create a way out of these statistics seldom look back or reach out.

There is hope, of course.  Every day I am inspired by a young person who sees no limitations to what they can accomplish.  My peers that have a heart of service to our communities motivate and challenge me to do more.  And then I can’t help but think about Harriet Tubman who kept coming back, risking herself and her freedom all in an effort to free her people.  I imagine all of the effort and courage it took only to get to there and the slaves to not know they are slaves.  Even worse, those who knew they were slaves but rather be slaves than try freedom.  How frustrating is that?  And that is where I feel we, Black America, are…still trying to convince the uninformed that there is still a fight that needs to be fought- orderly, non-violently, and tenaciously.