You Can Go Back to the 1950's but We Ain't 1950's Black Folks!

Okay, so, right now, we can all agree that America is in a shambles for the regular guy. We don’t know what the actual plan is from day-to-day because the people that are supposed to have a plan change their day-to-day plan on a day-to-day basis.

One thing we know for sure is part of that plan is to turn things back to the 1950’s, when Jim Crow laws were in place to try and keep Black people from reaching the American Dream. White folks weren’t having it. They were supposed to be superior. Black folks were not supposed to be capable of achieving the same or even a higher level of success than their white counterparts. They would prevail, even if it meant passing laws that would make it so. Back then, they really did have Black Jobs (maid, janitor, elevator man, bus boy, etc.)

Then, after much civil disobedience, demonstrations, town halls, boycotts, introduction of legislation, electing folks who wanted to change legislation and fought for the right to vote, a few interesting US Presidents like FDR, JFK, LBJ and JC (and even to some extent Truman and Eisenhower) new legislation was signed into law. Things changed because we stood up and made change happen. The legislators that we elected had the intestinal fortitude to fight for our rights and forced new laws, new opportunities like Affirmative Action, the development of the Department of Education, the Voting Rights Act, legal end to redlining, funding for job training, mental/physical healthcare and community centers.

Then, of course, when Black folks make three steps forward, white folks try to figure out a way to send us two steps back. Enter Ronald Reagan, and with him an administration of destruction/dismantling of many of the programs that were developed and making a major difference in the community. Also, the first time “Make America Great Again” was used. It was the Reagan Administration that created the Welfare Queen, and made the word “urban” mean “crime ridden”, and developed other fictitious characters that were coming to take over your white communities.

Once again, we fought our way back and helped many other minority groups along the way and at the turn of the century, Y2K, we had made growth in leaps and bounds. Now, once again, we have the “attack of the white people”. Once again, they want to delete our part in history. They want to delete us from books, museums, archives, wherever. They want to lie and say, as they did in the 1950’s, that the white man brought civilization to the world and all great inventions and growth of mankind was because of him.

They might want to go back to the 1950’s but we ain’t 1950’s Black folks and we ain’t having it. We have more power, money, global reach, and worldwide collaboration than ever before. Federal funding is nice, and it can definitely help but without it, you are no longer beholden to those powers. It is time to step fully into our power and build something that can’t be taken away. We’ve always been the backbone of innovation, creativity, and resilience.

They want to erase us from books, museums, archives, curriculums, and even public discourse. But history is written not just in books, it’s written in the impact we make every single day. We don’t have to wait for permission or validation. We don’t have to rely on systems designed to exclude us. We already have the tools, resources, and talent within our community to educate our children, invest in our businesses, support our entrepreneurs, and create institutions that serve our needs. With a $2 trillion economic footprint, we have the financial power to sustain our own schools, media, tech companies, healthcare systems, and political movements.

The question isn’t whether we have the ability, it’s whether we have the will to focus our energy on ourselves instead of trying to convince those in power to recognize our worth. History has shown us that every time we gain ground, there will be forces trying to push us back. But this time, the game is different. We are not just fighting for a seat at the table—we are building our own. Black excellence is thriving in business, education, politics, and global influence. We have leaders, strategists, innovators, and educators ready to shape the future on our own terms. So, let’s stop asking for inclusion and start demanding ownership. Let’s pour into Black banks, invest in Black startups, support Black schools, and uplift Black media. Let’s teach our children the truth about our history and equip them with the skills to lead the next generation forward. They may want to take us back to the 1950s, but they will quickly realize— We ain’t 1950s Black folks, and we ain’t having it.

Let’s work together to bring us all together!