We talk too much about them. We blame them. We wait for them to accept us, save us, acknowledge us, or validate us. But the hard truth is this: as long as we keep our minds focused on “they,” we will never build the power of “we.”
I see it every day in our conversations and in our media. Many of us speak more about what the white man is doing than what we ourselves are doing—or not doing. We spend hours debating their actions, their opinions, their laws, and their decisions. But how much time do we spend planning our own empowerment, supporting our own institutions, building our own unity, or holding ourselves accountable? Talking about them has become a distraction that keeps us from building us.
Focusing on “They” Is a Trap
Every time we say “They won’t let us,” or “They are stopping us,” we are giving power away. We are putting the keys to our future in the hands of people who have already shown us—they are not listening to our cries, our protests, or our complaints. Their systems were not built for our liberation. So why are we still begging for seats at their table when we have the power to build our own?
When we say “they,” we are really saying we are powerless. We are admitting defeat before the game has even begun. And while we keep repeating they, they, they, our communities remain broke, divided, and dependent.
The Power Has Always Been in “We”
Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley—two powerful voices from Jamaica—told us the truth long ago:
“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, because none but ourselves can free our minds.”
Those words do not mention “they” or “them.” Those words place full power in us, we, and I. They remind us that our chains today are not made of iron but of thought—thoughts taught to us by others, accepted by us, and repeated by us until we believe them.
We will remain slaves mentally, emotionally, financially, spiritually, and geographically until we stop giving them power in our minds. Freedom starts inside. As long as we center their power, we deny our own power.
Why “They” Talk Keeps Us Stuck
When we focus on they, we react.
When we focus on we, we create.
When we focus on they, we complain.
When we focus on we, we build.
When we focus on they, we feel hopeless.
When we focus on we, we become unstoppable.
Talking about them is a losing game because they are not listening—but we are. Our children are listening. Our community is listening. What we feed our minds is what we grow in our lives. If we keep feeding the problem, we will starve the solution.
The Time Has Come to Turn Inward
Our future does not depend on what anyone else chooses to do for us. It depends on what we choose to do for ourselves. Our freedom is not waiting in their systems; it is waiting in our unity, our discipline, our creativity, and our collective will.
We have everything we need to uplift ourselves:
We have minds.
We have land.
We have culture.
We have talent.
We have spiritual strength.
We have each other.
But none of that matters if we continue to hand over our mental power by focusing on “they” instead of building “we.”
Our Liberation Is an Inside Job
If we truly want change—real change—we must stop wasting energy on empty talk about what others are doing to us and start putting energy into what we are doing for ourselves. Our power is not in their hands. It is in ours.
We will remain as slaves in every way until we stop giving them power on the inside. The day we stop focusing on “they” and start building for “we” is the day we begin our true freedom.
It is time to stop reacting. It is time to start rising.
