Former President Richard M. Nixon realized the many inequities that existed throughout this nation of ours, particularly the economic aspect. Nixon recognized the fact that Blacks were being denied opportunities not only in starting a business, but also expanding an existing business, if you owned one. The president became the architect and founder of affirmative action and Black capitalism.

If you recollect, affirmative action at the outset meant ensuring Black men and women were guaranteed a genuine opportunity to receive a share of governmental contracts and goods and service contracts. Once affirmative action began to expand and Blacks began to achieve real progress, there surfaced those who always saw Blacks as second class people. These bigots began to cry out, “It is a form of discrimination, because colored folks are not the only ones that need help. What about us?” Lawsuits were filed claiming that it was discriminatory and unconstitutional to grant preference to Blacks, when, it fact, these same people had been the recipients of preferential treatment generation after generation.

Over the last 10 years (conservatively), the term affirmative action is no longer spoken by politicians or any other person in alleged authority—Black or White, because it is no longer politically correct. These voices of bigotry and hate were able to have percentages and quotas declared unconstitutional and Blacks were generally back where we started. Corporations and political leaders, who had no real sense of commitment, were able to say, “We can’t award the contract because we might get sued.”

There is no candidate of any political party, Black or White, who would use the words affirmative action, because the politically correct term today is diversity program.  

I made phone calls to several cities and to several people throughout Allegheny County who are getting paid to secure contracts for goods and services, and asked them to define diversity.  Almost to a person they began by saying, “The law has changed and precludes us from using race or gender and we can’t risk a lawsuit.” My standard response is, “That was not the question. Define diversity.”  Eventually they said gays, women, Hispanics, the physically handicapped, the disadvantaged and finally, Blacks.  

It is clear to me as I visit offices of those, who in theory are to address the problems that Blacks have had for hundreds of years, that they don’t control the process.

The process will never change until we make it change and we can’t do that if we keep begging and backstabbing each other.

Those of you who have convinced yourself that you are old massa’s boy are in for a big disappointment, because their White friends, families and financial supporters are convinced that these contracts are theirs and will resort to any means necessary to keep them.

No major or positive change will occur until we go as one with real organization. I know that you and I concur when we state a new organization is born every week, but I read a quote from Minister Louis Farrakhan that makes sense. He said an organization is not just a group of people coming together, but a group of committed, dedicated persons, who have an agenda for the communities and fulfill it.  

We must look around and ask ourselves what went wrong? Can we bring it back? Have those we voted for, both Blacks and Whites been beneficial in any capacity that would indicate THEY ARE HELPING TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD?

If you care about our future, send a financial contribution to the Kingsley Association.

(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a weekly contributor to the Forum Page.)