A paradigm shift

Mrs. Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat to a white man over fifty years ago on December 1, 1955, was the spark needed to galvanize an entire community. Imagine a community that needed the bus system to conduct the basic affairs of its life maintaining a boycott for over a year. (381 days) Now that's commitment. Subsequently, many thought that if the issue of civil rights were legislated, everything would be all right. That has not been the case. I contend that civil rights was and is but a vehicle by which to obtain something nobler. To wit: liberty in the USA without limitations due to race.

In light of this, it is instructive to review the different perspectives of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Mr. WEB Dubois. Although many viewed Mr. Washington's call to 'cast down your buckets where you are' a compromise, it demonstrated his commitment to the principles of the free enterprise system and the supporting philosophies. He understood the importance of developing economic viability (jobs and businesses) thereby leading to the creation of an economic infrastructure (business relationships) within a community, thus empowering that community to care for itself.

Mr. Dubois, on the other hand embraced a different position that demanded political equity immediately. Honestly, Mr. Dubois’ position is understandable. Undoubtedly, he witnessed many atrocities visited upon African-Americans who had embraced the free enterprise system. In the end, it cost many of these African-Americans everything, including their lives, simply because they were black. Obviously, no matter the virtue of a system theoretically, if it is not possible to put into practice, regardless the reason, that system is suspect. Understandably, Mr. Dubois wanted no part of free enterprise.

Consequently, this sentiment became the primary position of the civil rights movement at the expense, sometimes, of other ideas necessary to obtain liberty in the USA.

Notwithstanding, if the goal is to enjoy liberty in the USA, we have to review what has been accomplished, and what needs more attention. Okay, so civil rights have been legislated, that is good, now what. Well, at this point it is important that we as a people began to develop economic infrastructure within our own communities that serve other communities as well as our own. What makes this difficult is that we as a community have embraced philosophies and ideas that are contrary to the basic principles of free enterprise. Instead , we have been inoculated with many of the ideas and philosophies that support socialism and communism. This makes it difficult for us to truly embrace the ideas and thought processes that we need to move forward toward liberty in the USA.

For example, if I owned a company that manufactured widgets and I needed to get them to market. I may load my widgets on a tractor trailer to get them to a dockside, but after I am at a dockside, I would not drive into the river. No, at this point, I would move my product to the ships that are docked there. This would allow the product to be delivered to its appropriate destination.

Similarly, we could say that liberty in the USA is the destination, while equal access is the product. Even though civil rights was and is a mighty vehicle to deliver equal access to economic viability, the legislation of civil rights is not our ultimate destination. We must move equal access to the ship of economic viability to arrive at our goal of true liberty. It almost goes without saying that none of this can be done without a living, burning, and practical faith in God as our forbearers unashamedly possessed.

Can we, in the wake of the passing of this great civil rights icon, Mrs. Parks, embrace the necessary paradigm shift in our thinking so that we may rendezvous with our date with destiny the way Mrs. Parks sat down to hers.