I've heard time and again from many right-wing conservatives that self-responsibility is the only means by which black men and women might be able to rise from the ashes of oppression. This is extremely maddening. I can’t even begin to express my frustration with this idea. Because I mean … it’s like, “you can’t be serious right now, right?”

Essentially, the idea is like somebody chaining shackles around your ankles just when you’re about to take off for a race, and when you astonishingly finish in last place, they’re at the finish line saying, “Aw man buddy, what happened? You got to work harder than that!”

History depicts CLEARLY that my people are THE hardest working people known to mankind. So no, hard work isn’t the beef. Rather, the beef is the idea that the these right-wing ideologues wholeheartedly believe that self-responsibility doesn’t come attached to moral responsibility, political responsibility and social responsibility. All of these responsibilities are dominated by the white-led and created society of America.

Now don’t get me wrong. Self-responsibility is an essential part of the societal healing process from the oppression that we woefully endure. I believe our predecessors such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Reverend Jesse Jackson hit the nail right on the head. At some point, they all gave a speech that could be summed up as, “Stop blaming anybody but you. They not going to give you nothing, so we got to take it ourselves. It starts with us!”

I love these men, and I love their words. I have no issue with self-responsibility, and I encourage it greatly. The problem that I do have, is that although our predecessors preached self-responsibility, they also spoke about the barriers present in our society that block us from seeking ultimate prosperity. And that although self-responsibility is a must, holding the builders of those barriers responsible is just as vital. So when those architects refuse to acknowledge the evil of their ways, but have the appalling audacity to shout that black people's problem is that they lack self-responsibility, that is where my issue lies.

When I look at the black community, I see a community whose work ethic is unmatched. I see a community that constantly finds the means to make something out of nothing. I see a community that has the ability to become anything that they strive to be. But just as the possibilities are endless for black men and women, some issues within ourselves can limit these possibilities.

We are angry, whether it’s consciously or subconsciously. This complex emotion has trickled down through the centuries from our ancestors whose anger stemmed from their severe oppressive state. And who could blame them for being angry?

Despite this, we need to recognize that anger is a powerful feeling that black people can harness for good. Let your anger motivate you to take your education more seriously. Let your anger motivate you to become the athlete that uses their platform to give a voice to the voiceless. Let your anger motivate you to become the leader of the free world. Let your anger not embitter you, but allow it to obliterate all those sinister preexisting barriers that have no place in our country.

All this brings me back to my original point. Self-responsibility isn’t the issue. It is reductive to say that it is. It is a distraction used by a group of people who openly benefit from the structural racism of America. Self-responsibility is not the cure for black people, but a piece of the solution for all people. We all have a part to play in making this country a better place.

With black self-responsibility must come white accountability. Nobody is asking for a handout, and nobody is distributing the blame elsewhere. What we are asking for is that as individuals who benefit from the structural racism of America , if you’re going to preach for a community to enforce a sense of self-responsibility, then know that without acknowledging the personal, moral, social and political responsibilities that weigh heavily on your shoulders, you are just wasting your breath.

Accountability, self-responsibility, a channeling of rage. Again, there is no silver bullet. But with these things in mind, we can, this year, right now, begin to heal and better our country. To heal and better ourselves.

Shekinah Mondoua

Writing since January 2017 · 1 story contributed