It is interesting to me how many people simply stare blankly at me when I ask them about Blexit. Not just Conservatives, but Liberals as well. Not just Republicans, but Democrats as well.
IF they have heard of it, most only know names like, "Candace Owens, Kanye West, or Diamond & Silk." They usually don't know that it's an entire movement, and that it's reach goes far beyond just the few names and faces that often get attached to it.
For those of you who've never heard of it, here is their vision statement:
BLEXIT Foundation’s vision is to change the narrative that surrounds America’s minority communities - with a particular focus on African-Americans. We believe there are five primary program areas in which BLEXIT Foundation must engage to accomplish its vision:
1 Advocating for School Choice and alternative educational opportunities for America’s low-income and minority children.
2 Promoting criminal justice reform for those impacted by the penal system and developing educational programs to help communities avoid incarceration.
3 Championing entrepreneurship and free enterprise as keys to escaping government dependence and poverty.
4 Developing history programs that will inspire minority children to succeed and lead productive and responsible lives.
5 Presenting the message of BLEXIT through evocative visual art and compelling live experiences.
Still wondering why you haven't heard of them?
I'm not.
You see, there is a benefit to making sure that people believe that they are dependent upon you for their continued well being. It doesn't matter whether you are a parent, the boss, the Government, or the "massa." When people feel like their entire existence is depending on you and your continued success, then your success becomes their success, and they become easy to control.
It leads to demeaning thoughts like:
"Blacks can't own businesses, banks won't loan them money."
First, this isn't completely true, and second you can start a business without taking out a loan. Is a loan helpful? Sure, but it's not required. There are small business grants that target the Black Community, so really funding is less of an issue for Black Owned businesses then for those of any other ethnic group. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is the next closest pool of funds, and it doesn't even begin to match up to the money out there for Black American Entrepreneurs.
"Black people have a hard time getting employed because they have a higher per capita criminal record rate and no one will give them a chance."
Ok, if we took care of the above, this problem would solve itself, but let's explore another conservative option shall we? If Corporate America were given tax breaks for maintaining a certain level of "rehabilitated" hires, you would not only raise the level of former criminal employment, but you would also reduce the recidivism rates by giving people a chance to make a living in a legitimate way as opposed to risking their return to the penal system. Also, while making less money in corporate taxes, you'd make far more money that your losing in new and consistent tax payers.
But still, if people won't employ you, you can always start your own business. Too many people believe that they have to work for someone else. Today, that's not necessarily true. We live in the golden age of inexpensive businesses, and you too can take advantage of that and be the solution to your own unemployment.
"If it wasn't for the government, the black community wouldn't be able to make it in this country."
This one was one that stunned me. I don't know for how long I was unable to speak after hearing it, and I assuredly had to pick my jaw up off of the floor in order to do so. How damaged does your psyche have to be to honestly believe that your ability to live and provide for yourself is dependent on someone else? Especially when that someone else is the same Government who abused the Native Americans, allowed Jim Crow, and has a vested interest in keeping you dependent upon them as a political voting base?
There are many other demeaning statements that I could talk about, but I think these three illustrate what I'm trying to say well. When ANY community, Black, Hispanic, Jewish, et cetera, begin to see anything, or anyone, outside of their community as the answer to, or sustainer of, their community, they inevitably lose their independence and power, and the one making the provision gains it.
That is the message that Blexit is attempting to bring to the Black American community. You are not, and do not have to be, dependent on anyone. You can built it, grow it, fix it, and create it yourself. You can claim the power that comes with self-sufficiency and self-provision, and then take your rightful place as a community among those with a self-sustaining voice, as opposed to having to worry if what you're saying will upset those "taking care of you."
The one thing I teach my children, all the time, is that when you are self-sufficient, you can do whatever you want, but when you are relying on someone else, you are always tied to their will and ultimately every decision you make comes back to their opinion in some form or fashion. That, in an of itself, is a form of slavery, and I teach them that at every opportunity I get.
Be your own person, take care of yourself, be self reliant, and break those chains that bind you to someone else in dependency. This is the message of Blexit. A message of empowerment. A message of self worth. A declaration of community worth. A statement that while we're glad to have you with us, we don't NEED you with us to make it.
That's the root of conservatism right there. Walk with me because I want you there, not because I need you there. For in needing no one, I am free to walk with those whom I choose, and not those upon whom I depend for sustainment.
Freedom looks a lot like hard work, because it is. Dependency is easy, but ultimately, it costs you everything.
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