Published by The Black Commentator, February 29, 2024
We must consolidate our movement around a strategy and a vision.
“Those who want to make America white again aka MAGA have waged a successful coup of the Republican Party. And won!”
On the anniversary of Malcolm X, new details about the assassination emerged. Around that same time, trump snatched the South Carolina primary from his opponent’s home state. These two phenomena seem unrelated on the surface, but they got me to thinking about how different the consolidation of bases play out – the multiracial, progressive and the racist, conservative movement.
The former president is facing 91 criminal charges, 600 possible years of prison, a half billion dollars in legal penalties and millions more in legal fees. Maine and Colorado have rendered trump ineligible to be on their state’s ballot for the presidential election. A dozen more states are also applying a rarely used section of the constitution that deems him ineligible based upon his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Despite this heap of hurdles, trump is destined to become the front runner for the Republican Party.
This man is dangerous for sure. He has boldly and loudly laid out his plan to turn this wanna-be democracy into an autocracy or worse, a dictatorship. However, the wave of supporters that trump and the extremist wing of the GOP have methodically and strategically amassed and indoctrinated over the last decade are far more dangerous. They give the orange man his power and more importantly, they influence the party politics. They reward those who hold the party line and punish those who don’t. Those who want to make America white again aka MAGA have waged a successful coup of the Republican Party. And won!
It has been nearly sixty years since our Shining Black Prince was assassinated in front of his family and a room full of supporters. The murder remains unsolved, and the pursuit of justice by law enforcement is a sham. We knew from the beginning it was an FBI operation. Most of us accepted that fact, mourned our brotha and moved forward to keep his legacy alive. The casualties keep mounting – not just the body count but the unrelenting attacks on our civil rights and our very humanity.
Conservatives are playing the long game that centers white supremacy, a pathological ideology that employs fear and hate as the prevailing unifier. Our righteous social movements are rooted in pluralism, equity and justice – the good stuff. But we are playing to tactics (not a strategy) and short-term gains. This has proven to be insufficient and ineffective.
Think about how different this country would be if the anti-war movement, the women’s movement, the environmental movement and the Black Power/Civil Rights movements of the 1960s and 1970’s had truly united around a vision for democracy and peace. The millions who participated would be continuously educated and politicized as to their obligation to the lofty goals of participatory democracy. We would’ve continued to deepen and expand this empowered base. We would not have to operate on directives from a single leader. We would not be reactive to every issue and injustice thrown at us. We’d all be clear on what must be done, how it must be done and why it must be done.
MAGA, its allies and silent supporters have truly embraced their perverted interpretation of Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary.” We witness their people’s influence at all levels of government and in civic spaces. They must be confronted and challenged, not only by protest but by a highly organized, consolidated force of conscious people who are committed to a People’s Agenda and willing to fight for their beliefs – by any means necessary.
The tensions around 2024 elections are real. We hear chatter about states succeeding, about people preparing for civil war in this country. The meek will not inherit this nation. We who believe in freedom must hit the reset button. Ours is the task of systematically building people power for the long haul and rebuilding a civil society for generations to come.
