Black Excellence?

Black Excellence? Does this exist today and if so where is this evident? This term has been used loosely by certain individuals today, in my opinion. An example of Black excellence starts with Black Wall Street that was established in Tulsa, Oklahoma by entrepreneur O.W. Gurley. Gurley moved to Tulsa and bought 40 acres of land, which was only to be sold to black Americans. J.B. Stafford bought large amounts of real estate in northeastern Tulsa was also significant in helping start Black Wall Street. The early 1900’s in Tulsa Oklahoma is what I call “black excellence”, they bought land and only sold to black individuals. Now, don’t get me wrong, there has been great efforts made by prominent Black people today to create “black excellence”. Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Sean Combs, or whatever you want to call him today, loves to use this term, but he has started a school in the Bronx, New York. I understand what he is trying to do for the culture but is he really pushing the culture forward. He is not the only person to use this term, but he seems to be the person to greatly believe in this term when he is in the “moment”. This article is not to talk down about anyone but I feel excellence is definitely needed for black people worldwide today. Regardless of what Diddy or any other black celebrity says or thinks, black excellence is not evident in the black community.

I absolutely love being black in America. Being black is fulfilling in many ways and I appreciate the beauty of the “struggle”. That underdog feeling is part of what drives me to excellence. It’s more like rocket fuel that works with many other components that guides me to my goals and dreams. I thank God for this “obstacle” that makes the journey that much more satisfying. My journey is not why I chose to write this article. I am looking to and hoping that others will start at the root of black people in the world not being as excellent as they should today. I want the ghetto to not be the ghetto. I want the Oscars and Grammys to have the value of a certificate given to a person after buying a bag of paperclips. I want public aid to be the last resort. I want entertainers to be passengers in the vehicle of black excellence, and not the drivers. I want the term to be lived and not just be a hashtag. We all say things that sound cool or positive, but don’t really live or believe in what we are saying.

Black excellence is being displayed and lived in parts all over the world, but I want the majority of blacks in the world to be excellent. I love all races and cultures and I want all to be great but negativity about my race and the stereotypes are advertised daily around the world. Black people are leaders but aren’t leading the way. Black men have always been the top players in basketball, football, boxing, and a host of other sports. Why Is it that we aren’t majority owners and leaders in these organizations? I wanted to be a ball player or rapper when I was growing up. Why was I not interested in owning my own major record company or sports team? It’s a far fetched and impossible idea in our minds growing up. What we don’t witness and is not immediate deters the pursuit of that possibility. I want to see kids in groups talking about their future creation of fortune 500 companies. I want to see and hear about behind the scenes being more attractive than being the seen.
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Black Excellence is impossible for black people until changes are made at the root of the culture. You can’t sprinkle powder sugar on shit and call it a powder donut, and that’s what screaming black excellence sounds like to me. I am not asking for us to act or carry ourselves like any other race. I am asking that integrity, pride, dignity, intelligence, and character become the foundation for us all. We have all of that, but when you are on the west side and south side of Chicago, or any other “ghetto” area in America, that’s not what you see.  There are things that can be mentioned that doesn’t look well to the rest of the world, but black people should not cater to nor try to mimic any other race. We can continue to be our lively and creative selves but in a way that pushes the culture forward. Empower the youth with more than what we have right now. Show them that being the owner is better than being the employee. Knowledge, being humble, and picking battles wisely is the foundation of black excellence. It’s time that we are excellent and realize that there is work to be done for us to achieve excellence.
 
Written By: Ronald Anthony Wilson