For 400 years, Black people have survived unspeakable trauma and dehumanization. It’s a wonder we made it this far despite the oppressive knee of systemic racism on our necks. Today, we still face many adverse societal factors such as poor health care access, discrimination, underemployment and poverty, where there are gaps between us and everybody else. While we strive to overcome these inequities, it appears that we have to be twice as good to get half the credit. Social equity is essential to living while black. To our credit, many Black people have made remarkable gains, but we still have far to go. We must resolve to move beyond just surviving – to thriving!

We must be the change we are looking for. Self-determination is the key. Thriving Black is a digital forum for open, honest discussion (or what a wise friend calls “cussin’ and discussin’”) of practical solutions that can propel our community to reach its true potential. We can discuss dozens of topics that affect our trajectory as a people, but we have culled the list to what we believe are the most impactful: education, faith, family, health, social equity, technology, and wealth.

Future

Education is our future. Studies have shown that education is the ticket out of poverty. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), higher levels of education attainment result in more earnings and lower unemployment. In fact, those with the highest levels of education earned more than triple those with the lowest level. Education is vital to us thriving; it is the linchpin for getting out of the vicious cycle of low-wage jobs. We should subscribe to the adage: “In order to earn tomorrow, you have to learn today”. We will discuss the importance of learning about our true (often hidden) history, and tactics for getting the most out of education to prepare our children for success. We will also discuss strategies for reducing the cost of higher education.

Our oppressors used advantages in technology (guns and ammunition) to snatch us from the shores of the African coast, either by force or by trading said technology for people. Technology is the future; we can’t afford to be left behind again. How do we overcome the stigma of Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) fields? Today, far too many of us use technology more for toys than tools and for entertainment than attainment. We must embrace advancement in technology to help us thrive in society. The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled a sad fact: While nearly 30% of whites and 37% of Asians work in telework friendly jobs, less than 20% of blacks have that luxury. We will discuss practical, achievable ways that we can bridge this digital divide.

Faith

Faith is likely to be the most controversial topic we will delve into. Long before we were snatched from the shores of West Africa, faith was the drum beat of our lives.  As enslaved Africans, forced to adopt the religion of our oppressors, we found ingenious ways to adapt and incorporate their theology with religious practices we brought from Africa.   To this day, we ended up practicing Christianity better than they ever did. We used the power of our faith to sustain us through slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. Sadly, the black church, which used to be the backbone of our community, has moved away from its roots in the civil rights movement towards prosperity ministry.  Movements such as Black Lives Matter have taken on the mantle of fighting against social and racial injustice, which is a cause the church used to lead back in the day. It’s time for the Black church to wake from its slumber, get back into the fight to help our communities thrive. We will hold ourselves and the church accountable for putting feet to our faith. We know as a people that a key tenet of our progress is our resolve to work as if everything depends on us and pray as if everything depends on God.

Family

Focus on the Black family. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2015-19, 75% of African American families were headed by a single parent; far worse than Hispanic (59%), White (38%) and Asian (20%) families. This dismal statistic reveals the main reason that the poverty rate is so high in Black communities. No doubt, a healthy family unit is key to thriving. How do we turn this number around? What’s wrong with the choices we make about starting a family? Who, what, where why and when gives us the best chance to keep our families intact? How do we make our families strong?  These are some of the questions we will discuss in this topic area. Let’s also remember to draw strength from our families’ stories and accomplishments.

Fitness

Nothing matters more than health & fitness. We all know the adage: “When white America has a cold, Black America has pneumonia”. Health disparities abound and have been laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic – which is in reality a syndemic for Black America. Health disparities between black and white Americans run deep. Blacks have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease than other groups. For African Americans, health disparities take on many forms, including higher rates of chronic disease and premature death. While many of our underlying heath conditions are vestiges of slavery, it is past time for us to take charge of our mental and physical wellness. Exploring the links between racism and poor health will be critical to closing the health equity gap.

Fairness

Fight for social equity, equal rights & justice. The so-called American Justice system is more of an “Injustice” system for Black America. Much of our policing laws have their origins in the slave patrols organized to keep enslaved Africans in their place. Unrestrained police brutality, culminating in the heinous murder of George Floyd, triggered an inflection point for racial reckoning and sparked widespread multi-racial protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement aimed at achieving social equity in all walks of life. That led to reckoning at the ballot box that resulted in the firing of the disgraced president and electing a U.S. Congress that better serves our community. It’s imperative that we continue our fight for equal rights, social equity and reforming this criminal ‘injustice’ system. Let’s start by staying out of the criminal justice system in the first place. We will explore why social equity is not just about criminal justice, but equity in all aspects of society.

Finances

Building wealth is a crucial goal. A recent Washington Post report shows the “black-white economic divide is as wide as it was in 1968” and “the COVID-19 recession is also hitting black families and business owners far harder than whites.” The report, using data from the historical Survey of Consumer Finances, shockingly shows that “in 2016, the typical middle-class black household had $13,024 in wealth versus $149,703 for the median white household.” That’s a lot of ground to cover and catch up to, but we’ve got to start now by putting strategies in place such as securing better paying jobs and purchasing homes to close this economic gap. Plus, we’ve got to have some wealth to pass onto the next generation.