WAS KARL MARX CORRECT?
A HARD-HITTING LOOK AT POWER, INFLUENCE, AND BLACK SELF SUFFICIENCY!
Throughout history, those who control the key institutions of society—education, law, finance, real estate, politics, banking, and media—have shaped the world in their image. Some have wielded this control as a means of survival, others as a tool for dominance, and many have used it to secure generational wealth and influence while keeping others in a state of dependency. My political illustration, Was Karl Marx Correct?, forces us to confront a difficult truth: while certain groups have mastered the art of wielding power, Black people have often been relegated to the margins, used, exploited, and kept from controlling their own destiny.
The purpose of this piece is not to attack but to awaken—to urge Black people to study the systems that have controlled them and to take the necessary steps to break free from exploitation.
The Classroom of Power: A Lesson from Karl Marx
The image portrays Karl Marx in a dilapidated classroom, delivering a lesson to a young student. The blackboard behind him is filled with words representing the most powerful sectors of society:
Education – The system that shapes minds and controls narratives.
Law – The enforcement mechanism that determines justice and injustice.
Finance – The control of wealth, debt, and economic opportunity.
Real Estate – The ownership of land and the displacement of communities.
Politics – The power to create, enforce, and manipulate laws.
Banking Institutions – The gatekeepers of wealth and credit.
Media Control – The shapers of public opinion and cultural norms.
The quote from Karl Marx above the board states: “What is their foundation in our world? Material necessity, private advantage.” Marx, despite his complex and often controversial legacy, made an astute observation: those who control the material world—resources, institutions, and capital—ultimately control society itself.
The student in the image represents the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next, learning from a young age how to establish, expand, and solidify influence over these sectors. This is a lesson many others have mastered while Black people, due to historical oppression and systemic barriers, have been largely kept out of these circles of power.
History as a Blueprint: From Exclusion to Exploitation
The struggle for Black self-determination has always been met with opposition. From the moment enslaved Africans were brought to the West, every effort was made to keep them from acquiring wealth, land, education, and political power. Even after slavery, systemic redlining, segregation, voter suppression, and economic sabotage ensured that Black people remained dependent on systems controlled by others.
Meanwhile, other groups that had historically faced hardship found ways to enter and dominate these same sectors. Through networking, strategic alliances, and economic collectivism, they transformed victimhood into power. Their rise in influence across finance, media, and politics was not accidental—it was a calculated effort to ensure survival and advancement. The question is: why haven’t Black people done the same on a large scale?
The answer lies not just in external oppression but also in internal conditioning. The Black community has been trained to believe that working within the system is the only way forward, while others have quietly built and controlled the system itself.
Breaking the Cycle: Mastering Our Own Affairs
At the bottom of the blackboard in the illustration, a powerful message is written:
“They learned from young to rule over us in these crucial areas. Let us master our own affairs and break the exploitation of Black people that has empowered and profited them greatly.”
This is the central theme of the artwork: not just recognizing exploitation, but actively breaking free from it. How do we do this?
1. Reclaiming Education – Black communities must invest in independent schools, homeschooling networks, and curriculums that teach real history, economic literacy, and strategic power-building.
2. Legal Empowerment – More Black lawyers and judges must emerge, not to serve existing systems, but to reshape them and create alternative justice structures.
3. Economic Independence – Collective Black investment in banks, real estate, and businesses is crucial. Instead of begging for access, we must create our own financial institutions.
4. Media Control – The narrative must be taken back. Black-owned media platforms need to grow and counteract mainstream propaganda.
5. Political Strategy – Instead of pledging loyalty to parties that don’t serve us, Black communities must leverage their vote as a bargaining tool and push for policies that directly benefit them.
The book at Marx’s feet, Schwartze: The Real Jew, alongside the words “Hide the Truth,” hints at the concealed history of Black people’s own lost identity and potential. It suggests that there is more to the story than what has been taught—and that rediscovering these hidden truths is a necessary step toward true liberation.
Final Thoughts: The Urgency of Self-Sufficiency
This illustration serves as both a critique and a wake-up call. The problem is not that other groups have risen to power—it’s that Black people have not yet done the same in a way that ensures true self-sufficiency and protection from external control. While others have learned from an early age how to dominate key institutions, Black communities have been conditioned to consume, depend, and remain under the influence of those who do.
So, was Karl Marx correct? The question is not about Marx himself, but about the reality he described—the reality where power belongs to those who take control of the material world. If we want true freedom, we must stop being spectators in a game rigged against us and start becoming the architects of our own future.
The time for waiting is over. The time for action is now.