By Lucius Gantt
No disrespect from the God-father of Soul, but from my perspective, it seems almost like it’s a girl’s world, but it wouldn’t be anything without a man or the boys.
I love a boss lady but not every lady is a contender; some women are pretenders.
Being like Oprah or Beyonce requires more than wigs, weaves and lashes. The world’s most successful women work hard, play hard and love their immediate and extended families.
In order to have a good marriage, a good relationship, a good career, and a good life, you must love your God, love yourself, love your family and love your community.
In fact, one reason why African Americans in the United States have not become all they could be is our lack of love for each other.
Once upon a time, even though members of our ethnic group had different ideologies, different philosophies and different strategies, it was not unusual to see Martin Luther King sit down with Elijah Muhammad or Roy Innis. It was great when Booker T. Washington discussed Black progress with W. E. B. Dubois. Nobody thought something was wrong if Stokley Carmichael had a chat with Huey Newton.
There is a lot of chatter about “unity” but rich Blacks aren’t in a hurry to hang out with poor Blacks, Black radicals, and revolutionaries aren’t begging to meet with Black pessimists and Black gang members are not lighting peace pipes to share with other Black gang members.
Back in the day, Black professionals had strong, influential, and powerful organizations. Now, Blacks with medical teaching and training, don’t seek to join Black medical organizations; they want to join the white-controlled American Medical Association and a similar scenario exists for lawyers, accountants, tradesmen and most other professionals.
Why can’t we be members of our own organizations and in theirs?
We can’t because we don’t like what we are or what we do because we are infatuated with what our exploiters and oppressors do.
The people that hate you don’t want to see you unite. They only want you to continue to fuss and fight. I’m not a Christian but I don’t have a problem with people that love the King James version of the Bible. I like Afrobeat music but I love my friends that enjoy hip hop, jazz and country and western music.
The point I’m trying to make is, even though you didn’t always agree with your parents and grandparents, you still loved them with all your heart and soul.
All of us could do better if we would be better. Jesus told his Believers to love their neighbors like they loved the Lord.
We will continue to disagree on some things, but we must disagree with love.
The devil loves it when we attack, demean and disparage each other but love will keep us together.
One more thing before we close this week’s column. I talked with a media ownera that is seriously interested in doing a radio version of The Gantt Report.
Well, a Gantt Report radio show will coincide with a Gantt Report TV show that will be available to see and hear on a worldwide level.
I hope things will come together sooner than later but, at the same time, I will always take my time and do things right.
At least, you can wish me luck!