Negro Is Yet A Slave
The so-called negro is yet a slave, though free, some reflections on the economic slavery which makes the race helpless victims.
Three score years ago, Abraham Lincoln emancipated four million and one-half negroes, this was a wonderful blessing to the negro, for he had prayed to his God unceasingly, that the slave-chain which held him fast might be broken. He had been under the lash, his women had seen their children sold like so many cattle; they had met injustice at every turn of the road.
The negro, after a period of time, began to realize that after all, he was not a free being, altho he was not subject to his master. The negro probably thought that the emancipation meant freedom to him, but to emancipate the negro only meant to give him a chance to free himself.
To emancipate the negro meant to give him a chance to work out his own destiny. No nation or race has at any time freed another nation or race, they are too busy working out their own social or national problems. The power to become free, lies within the race or nation itself. The negro forgot that his own freedom had just begun, being untrained, unskilled labor naturally fell to his lot, a hewer of wood and a drawer of water, was his portion.
But will the so-called negro be free as long as he remains at the foot of the industrial ladder? Can he be free as long as poverty stares him in the face? Can he take his place among the other races of the world, unless he becomes a producer, and controls the economic forces about him? Why is the so-called negro not free today? Why is he pleading for an opportunity and for justice to be given him on every hand? There is but one answer, he is a victim of economic slavery—a slave to the economic force of this country. In the field of mercantile business he is only a child, in the world of commerce he is yet a stranger, in co-operative industries he is an alien, in all creative industries he is at the foot of the ladder.
If the negro would become free and independent, let him enter into the creative industries in larger numbers. We must have a greater per cent of negroes in business and fewer negroes in the so-called parasitical professions, such as lawyers and doctors. We must have captains of industries, we must have more negroes as manufacturers and bankers, we must have more negroes, instead of looking to the white race to support his boys and girls, the negro will then be able to protect them himself. In proportion then, as the negro learns the spirit of co-operation, in that same proportion will he be able to rid himself of the existing evils that seem to befall him.
In this martialistic age, any race, in order to protect itself, must conquer those economical principles so necessary to its very existence. Then let the negro enter largely into the creative fields of industry, let him become a producer and not a consumer.
When he has control of all the economic forces about him, prejudice, jimcrowism and disfranchisement will cease, no longer will he have to plead to the white man for justice. We will, with our finance, backed by a spirit of co-operation, force every barrier down.
When the negro succeeds as a financier, he and his posterity will be as free as the mighty winged eagle that soars to the summits sublime, as free as the fairest Anglo-Saxon that trod American soil.
Then, and not until then, will the negro be free.
I am drawing your attention to a source of facts that are among all nations, the opportunities that would free a race, are ninety-eight per cent cut off from the black man, he is only a consumer and not a producer. He is not allowed to produce like other nations, not even in his own country, Africa, the country that the God of Heaven and Earth has given him. He is ready and capable to build up his country, and to pick and back his own leaders, those whom he can trust.
Ninety-eight per cent of the picked leaders have proven themselves to be self-seekers and crooks. We don’t want them, but they must go for the good of all nations that put such traitors over a people of God.
My friend, I don’t mean that we will be free twenty-five years or a century from now. I am not thinking about that. The time has come now that the black man must have equal rights. We are coming out of schools, grammar, high and colleges, by the thousands, and have nothing to do. The common labor has been given to the foreigners, and the American business men tell our boys and girls that they cannot employ colored help, although we have a college diploma in our hands.
Justice is looking all nations in the face and there is a wolf in the back yard.
Our fathers and mothers were put in chains and carried away, and have never had a chance to free themselves, but the God of Heaven and Earth put them in the hands of good white people all over the world, to help free their sons and daughters. The white boys and girls are calling for their black, brown and mulatto classmates who finished school with them. They learn to love one another with a love that prejudice cannot reach, matters not what the white father or mother says. They see no difference in the race, as the northern schools teaches none.
The government will stand by all people who stand for justice, and it will see that justice will be dealt to all people in America who have played their part as a race or nation, because God loves us all, regardless to creed or color. Now, allow me to make an open confession, as the Lord says it is good for the soul. My forty-five years of dealing with the white man and his families, in the South and North. I have found that they have met me half way. They have held out their hand to me, as if to say, come on, you can walk.
They have taken things from me, that I would not take from them. They have tried to help me to walk, but I was not smart enough to understand. We as a race, have let golden opportunities slip by, being too stiff-neck to take heed. The love, that the white men and women have for our wives, causes us men to get work to buy bread to eat and a house to live in. The black women have power with God, and the blessings of the world lies in her.
In this work for which I have given up my life for the last twenty years, I came to my own people, but they received me not, then there was nothing for me to do, but go to the white man and his families. From door to door with my vision, and the analysis of my work. I explained it to them just as I saw it. They saw my honest desire, and they held out their hands to me, and said, come on, you can walk. They are as yet meeting me half way, and I began to walk. Nine souls out of every ten have a kind word for me, and at times it has gone farther than money. Some of them would say, my son, I don’t see where I can help you now, but, you have a good work, and I appreciate it, you call again. Some of the gentlemen would call up their neighbors and tell them that I was all right, and to give me a dollar, and before I could open my mouth, he would send me out a dollar or more.
Some of the ladies when I saw them in their homes or businesses, when they were not prepared to help my work, would say, My Dear ——, I am awfully sorry that I cannot help you today, but I will send you a small check. Her kind words fill me with the spirit of come on, you can walk. To encourage me, I have had business men and women let me look into their cash registers—make me look in them. Men turn their pockets inside out to let me see that they have no change, others go out and borrow money for me, that is telling me to come on, you can walk. The same white people will tell you to come, you can walk. Try it, they will meet you fifty-fifty, but they have no time for shiftless or lazy black people. They want you to be a man or woman to your word. If they can put confidence in you, they will do anything for you, some of them will give up their life for you, but we must be honest to them and give them a square deal, not an eye servant. If you are working for them, give them justice, then they are compelled to do the same by you. My friend, the progress of the race lies in the young white boys and girls. I have never met a more friendly people than the young men in their business. They have not much money to give, but they have that hospitality, that friendly smile which is home-like. The young ladies at their desks trying to make an honest living, they all have a kind word for you, and a beautiful smile for you which makes you feel like you have something to live for.
I have an interview with a thousand white men and women every month. I can honestly say that not one out of the thousand has tried to insult me or try to take advantage of me because I am a member of the black race, the ancient Jews.
Some of the working girls open their bags and give me from twenty-five cents to a dollar for my work. Some contribute a smile of regret because they have no money, but that smile is worth as much as a dollar to me. It says come on, you can walk, and my heart goes out with the God of Heaven’s blessing on such people. I feel sorry for them, they cannot help what their fathers and mothers have done to us. It is not their fault that we have been made slaves of, and yet are to the nations of the world, but we as a race of people should obey the law and live clean and respectable, so our friends can uphold us to our enemies and demand respect for us. When we as a people don’t live the high morals with self respect, then our enemies use that to keep us down and our friends cannot say a word for us, they only can say get up and walk, our hands are open to you.
The trouble with this race is, that they are suffering for the want of true racial leadership. We want leaders to agitate the spirit to produce.
If the white man was to pass a law that the black man either had to build factories or go naked, or say give us back our clothes we sold you, and here is your money that the government made, or, if you want your pork chops, buy your farms, raise your hogs, flour and meal, we would be pretty bad off.
We want leaders who will show us how to produce something, so we can free ourselves from being dependent on our good white brothers. Somewhere in this world, the God of Heaven has left us our inheritance, let us find it, but we must put down these sorry cowardly leaders, and pick up real men.
Our white friends are not going to bother along with us much longer, because they have trouble of their own.
When you have only a ten dollar a week job, and live the life of a twenty dollar a week man, there is not much sympathy that you can demand from any one.
I also want to thank my personal friends of my race. They are true to me and this work. They have given me dollars when they need them for themselves. They have fought many a battle for me, they trust me. They have also given notes on their homes to raise money for me to go on with this work. I can never forget them. Again I thank them, and the God of Heaven will bless them for their righteous works.