Total Black Empowerment Through the Creation of Powerful Minds

This book is intended to facilitate the development of a New Mental Attitude in African Americans. The New Mental Attitude will be fueled by powerful ideas that are elevated and transcendent. This book seeks to encourage the type of thinking that will produce fundamental change. Not in circumstances but in how we think about them and ultimately respond to them. This book is a mind power primer. It is about perfected vision, mind-set reconstruction, cultural/political transformation, and understanding of the power elements that make such reconstruction and transformation possible. This book is also about the attraction, utilization and distribution of temporal and spiritual power. As a threshold matter this book presupposes that as a whole African Americans have failed to develop a mind-set that permits and encourages revolutionary, innovative, success-oriented thinking. More precisely, it posits that African Americans, by and large, lack clarity of vision and as a result simply do not think logically or efficiently when it comes to matters that affect our cultural, religious, political and economic development. The premise of this book is succinctly stated in Dr. Carter G. Woodson's pre scient, revolutionary treatise The Miseducation of the Negro. Writing in the 1930's Dr. Woodson observed that "[t]he Negro has not yet learned to think and plan for himself as others do for themselves." He also observed that "[w]e have never been taught to think ... only what to think." He left us with a suggestion and a final admonition; we "... should learn to think before it is too late."1 In spite of the powerful formula contained in Dr. Woodson's words no one, to my knowledge, has attempted to address the problem in a formal manner. It was initially difficult for me to understand why if others recognized the problem no one had actually confronted it. It was then that I realized that it had to do with change and obstinacy, those devilishly subtle twins of complacency. The notion of change is difficult for most people to consider and virtually impossible for them to accept. As a result, we become obstinate. That is, we 1. Woodson, Carter, G., The Miseducation of the Negro, (Trenton, New Jersey: African World Press, Inc., 1990). xvii xviii Total Black Empowerment Through the Creation of Powerful Minds(R) "...perversely adhere to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion. "When we add to this recalcitrant mix the fact that politics and religion are subjects that we have made taboo, it becomes apparent why no one has attempted what is likely to be a thankless task. It has taken me much longer to write this book than I anticipated. The reason is because I too was reluctant to confront change. I knew that in order for this book to serve its intended purpose it had to deal with the subjects that we have been taught not to talk about. Of course, I am referring to religion and politics. Although it may be true that the political taboo is now honored mostly in the breach, the religious taboo is as strong, if not stronger, than ever. Let me explain. During the course of my life I have been called everything from blasphemer to atheist. I am neither. I admit, without hesitation or shame, that my religious views are, to say the least, unconventional. This is mainly because I am, in the proud tradition of my ancient ancestors, a pagan. Therein lies the problem. To be a pagan (neither Christian, Muslim nor Jew) is to curry the ample, often virulent disfavor of Christians, Muslims and Jews. It is to be branded an infidel, heathen or Goy-none of them complimentary names. I am a proud pagan nonetheless. I am so because my ancestors too were proud pagans. I believe that our ancestral culture and beliefs should be preserved, respected and whenever possible adhered to. I am, admittedly, at a loss to understand why most African Americans are unaware of the fact that their ancient ancestors devel oped a belief system that is,