Daily life for black people is first and foremost about survival, trying to survive in this crazy fucked up society when the whole world seems like it is hell-bent on destroying us. We are in unprecedented times right now and every day feels like it’s about staying alive. Every time we scroll through social media, another one of our Brothers or Sisters are being harassed, beaten, and/or murdered by the racist police patrolling our neighborhoods. Families who have lived in communities for generations are being pushed further and further out due to rapid gentrification by people who don’t look like us. We are the most discriminated, unemployed, undereducated, and poverty-stricken ethnicity in the United States and possibly the world. However, we are one of the most innovative and resourceful people on the planet capable of producing cultural shifts that influence and impact the masses.

Yet, we still find ourselves here, living in a constant state of fear, frustration, anger, and fatigue.

Frankly, we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. We can never get too comfortable. Our war against systematic oppression is never-ending. Decade after decade, we try and try to show the rest of the world that we matter, whether it be peaceful demonstrations, boycotts, protests, or riots. There is so much going on in the lives of black people and the cloud of anti-blackness that hovers over us that we are distracted by this plight. With our energy elsewhere and in a constant state of survival mode, we tend not to focus on other issues that are just as important.

In the book Powernomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America, Dr. Claud Anderson emphasizes the importance of education, politics, resources, and economics to rebuild and uplift the Black community.

“Black America must educate its children through community-based partnerships between students, teachers, parents, churches, and businesses. ” (p. 90).

Published in 2005, Powernomics provides the key to unlocking the door to Black Liberation across the globe. Dr. Claud Anderson lays out a step-by-step, thoughtful, and practical blueprint that, if followed, will guide black folks to the abundance and prosperity we have been denied access to for centuries. Not only does Dr. Claud examine in detail the history of how we as black people came to be in our current situation, going from hundreds of years of slavery to Jim Crow and the continued practice of racism that is running rampant through the veins of American society. He also lays out methods on how to better maneuver, empower, and uplift not only the individual but our community as a whole. Dr. Claud explains that through the rebuilding of our communities by investing in our own schools, businesses, churches, local and state governments, as well as practicing group economics, we will be able to dig ourselves out of the hole we find ourselves in. In return, this will grant us the ability to compete on a global scale once we decide it benefits us all to put collectivism over individualism.

What Powernomics offers us is a different way of thinking. Dr. Anderson’s clear and tell-it-like-it-is approach really opened my eyes and helped me to have a better understanding of the severity of the situation we are in as black folks and the urgency we must have if we plan on turning these circumstances around asap.

“Information represents only the potential for power. Just like the power in a light bulb is realized only when it is connected to a circuit, information lacks power until it is connected into a network and used by its owner.” (p.200)

This book made me reevaluate the ways in which I have lived the majority of my life, chasing the money and doing what I needed in order for me to maintain and thrive individually in a competitive capitalist landscape while not truly being concerned with contributing to the betterment of my family, my community, and my people. It was also a reminder that even though wealth and politics are key components in any society only the very minimal is taught in schools and even less as part of our daily conversations with family members and friends so we must do our due diligence to seek out and apply this knowledge ourselves. We must do our part to share this information with the folks in our community if we have any chance of advancement in today’s world.

Dr. Claud’s book brings to mind an African proverb, “Alone a youth runs fast, with an elder slow, but together they go far.” If we truly want to combat social injustice, classism, and institutionalized racism in this country and advance in a system that is designed to keep us oppressed and begging for handouts versus creating and providing opportunities for advancement, we will need to do it together. It will take a village. If we want to become successful and empowered and creators of our own destiny then please make sure every black household has Powernomics at their disposal.

With this information, we are efficiently armed with the tools we need to overcome our past and embrace a new promising future.

And for this, Dr. Anderson, we thank you.

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