“Depend upon it, whenever the American people shall become convinced that they have gone too far in recognizing the rights of the Negro, they will find some way to abridge (take away) those rights.”

Those were the words of Frederick Douglass in 1889. This was also the beginning of the “Black tax.” There is a surcharge for being African-American in this country.

Today there have been many ebbs and flows of African-American progress in this country. We have addressed many hurdles and obstacles to overcome the barriers that were created to deter our full entry to American society. These barriers were legal, economic, social and political.

I was asked one day, “Why is it that Black folks (in America) need legislation to be citizens?” They continued to question, “Why is it the president has to sign our Voter’s Rights Act every 25 years? Didn’t we build this country?” The best answer I could come up with at that moment was, “It’s the ‘Black tax’!”

What is this “Black tax” that imbues every corner of African life in America? I’m glad you asked. I can remember from earliest childhood my mother instilling in me that I must be better than White people. She told me not to fall to their level of treating people or doing business. All of that didn’t make much sense to me at a young age. However, growing up in American society, all her instructions began to take root and created a discerning student of life in America.

As I evaluate the different privileges and sanctions assigned to ethnic groups in this country, I discovered consistence and repetitive actions against African-Americans. Throughout their presence in America, Europeans named us. We were not included in their legal documents. We could not practice African traditions and language that were essential to our community building. We did not have the freedoms of life, liberty, and most certainly could not pursue our happiness.

All of this and much more were placed on a people of color as a tax, a social charge, a levy of means, to remove their competitive edge (is that why it’s called a race?).

At every turn in America, African-Americans pay. They pay for not knowing, not having and not doing. They pay for having too little, too much and not enough. They pay for being the last hired and the first fired. They pay for laughing too much or not at all. They pay for everything from a pool of limited resources. “Depend upon it, whenever the American people shall become convinced that they have gone too far...” that was then, this is now.

Yes, we have come a long way, but the road is endless. We are at a point when the possibilities of an African-American president is just votes away. We are at the threshold of constructing an educational system that will reflect who we are and teach us how to maintain longevity in this American republic. Moreover, we need to develop strategies that will keep our dollars in our neighborhoods more than a few hours and reach back to the least of our people at or below the poverty line.

Some might wonder about the development of those activities, but because of our “Black tax,” we must realize and assess our intellectual and capital revenues for the benefit of building our community.

We can no longer fall victim to outside sanctions. We should realize our economic potential to generate positive development of life and property. We should construct a political environment that will foster the candidates who will stand for the voice of the people they represent.

The only things certain in life are death and taxes.

(Reprinted from the Michigan Chronicle.)