MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Imperfect but Essential: Why Black Unity Must Rise in the Age of the Trumpets
“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
By Bobby R. Henry, Sr.
Let’s not get it twisted or sugarcoat it: we are living in a political storm, and the thunder is getting louder by the day.
Under this administration of Trumpets, a return of the same ol tired, dangerous energy of dried dung that has long tried to silence us proud Black people are once again under attack. We are being criminalized in our communities, ignored in crises, damn near erased from history, and exploited on every front. And yet, many of us remain hesitant to stand together, unsure of who to follow or who to trust.
We’ve been burned before. That pain is real. But if we’re waiting on a flawless savior before we move, we’ll be waiting forever.
Here’s the truth: no leader is perfect.
We ask, “Why should I follow them? They’ve got dirt on them.”
And to that I ask who doesn’t?
We must stop demanding perfection from our own while excusing and accepting pure corruption from those in power. The same system that has allowed convicted felons and open racists to run for and win the highest offices in this land. That system will never be swayed by whether a Black leader once made a mistake. That microscope is reserved for us and we use it like we’re in some laboratory acting like mad scientists racing to wipe us out. We can no longer let it paralyze us.
Let’s be absolutely clear as crystal: this is not a call to excuse debauchery, betrayal, or the racial genocide of our own kind.
We have no space and no patience for Benedict Arnolds in our ranks no room for those who sell us out for personal gain or who aid in the destruction of Black lives. Our movement cannot carry the weight of treason disguised as leadership.
But for those leaders who have stumbled, repented, and remained in the fight with bruised knuckles and busted lips we must show grace. As long as the dirt isn’t rooted in the destruction of our people, it doesn’t disqualify someone from the work of liberation. In fact, it may prepare them better for it.
Our greatest ancestors weren’t perfect.
Harriet wasn’t perfect. Malcolm had a past. Dr. King had critics.
Yet they showed up. They served. They risked it all. And they changed the world because they didn’t wait for permission or perfection.
Now it’s our turn.
This is not the season to nitpick or tear down the very people willing to stand up for us. This is the season to organize, mobilize, and strategize with leaders who are woke and real, resilient, and rooted in community.
Let’s stop letting personal flaws distract us from collective power. Let’s stop canceling those doing the work, simply because their journey isn’t squeaky clean. We are not building a church of saints. We are building a movement for survival.
Unity over ego. Grace with accountability. No Benedict Arnolds. No sellouts. Just us imperfect, but unstoppable.
If we come together now, not waiting for the perfect leader but becoming the powerful alliance our ancestors dreamed of we can outlast this administration, outwork these systems, and outlive this storm.
We must fight with resistance by rising and organizing. We have to build something they can’t tear down.
God consistently uses flawed, imperfect people to carry out divine missions. The key was never their perfection, it was their obedience, humility, and willingness to be used even in death.
“We’re not building a church of “holy rollie” saints, we’re building a movement consisting of disciples who understand the need for survival.”
