The goal is to “Remove, Replace, and Rebuild.” The goal is not, as Killer Mike said, to pursue the best “master.” Black people must build our own, collectively. In his comments at the Revolt Summit, Micheal Render (Killer Mike) made a passionate plea for Black people to do our homework, learn from our great Black thinkers in the past and concretize a Black agenda. A true Black agenda isn’t one that leads Black people to a “lesser of two evils” scenario or ensures that Black people have a benevolent “master” who leaves crumbs behind. This is about building our own and we must get serious about that work.
We Buy Black is a platform that was launched some years back with a definite agenda, very much in line with what Render said this past weekend. Our goal isn’t simply to seek a better master. Rather, we are interested in Black people living with self determination. That is, we decide what happens in our lives and in our communities. There are many critical elements to self determination but for sure, it requires that we are economically secure and that is a pursuit we must do alone. No government entity will do that for us, nor will benevolent “allies.” We must focus on what we can control and that is buying Black. Black people control over $1 trillion and with it, we have the power to make anyone wealthy and it should first be ourselves.
True freedom is independence. We need not ask anyone else to serve us, cater to us or care about us. When you have your own car, you don’t have to ask anyone for a ride. If you have your own house, you need no one to provide shelter for you. Render’s comments about a “master” have to do with Black people asking others for benevolence, jobs, opportunity or a fair shake. We are free already — if we choose to practice our independence. Nothing is stopping us from buying from each other, creating wealth and living in true freedom. Only we can stop ourselves from doing those things; we don’t need a master and never did. We Buy Black was founded to provide an easy vehicle to help us transition from dependence on a master to independence.
If we are not buying from each other, we are still depending on a master. If we are not employing each other, we are still depending on a master. If we are not truly independent economically, we are still living under a master. The goal of We Buy Black is to simply provide a platform to help us make the transition and in doing so, “remove our dollars from products and services that disrespect and devalue our community, replace them with reputable and amazing Black-owned brands, and rebuild the life and community we want to see.”
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